The Mercenary's Daughter
by Sweet June Rain
Summary: The life of a highly trained solider is changed when something precious is given to him. How will our favorite mystery man handle his new obligations! (OOC, OCs, AU, and it's a slow building Babe!) Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

So, I'm experiencing some difficulties with Guardian, you know...such as the story disappeared and I can't find on my hard drive! So, in the mean time...NEW STORY TIME! I think this one is going to be a good one, hopefully!

Disclaimer: The characters in this story, save for my own original ones, are not mine, they belong to JE and I'm not profiting form this at all! meh...

Warnings will be posted in each chapter...Warning: None

Enjoy, and please, tell me what you think so far about the story in a review! Cheers!

* * *

_The Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 1_

_Impending Fatherhood_

* * *

"What are you going to do about this situation?"

Now that's the billion dollar question Carlos Manoso wish he had an answer too. What was he going to do about the wrench that had been tossed into his gears? This wasn't a problem he could fix with money or anything of the like, this problem would affect him for the rest of his life…again.

Carlos turned to his friend and said, with honesty, "I don't know, Tank, what do you think I should do?"

"I don't know, I've never had this problem before, and I hope to god it doesn't happen to me," Tank said, crossing his arms and peering at the problem that rested on the conference table, "Are you sure that-"

"She has no reason to lie to me," Carlos said softly, looking at his problem, "You heard her, Tank, she didn't want to do this, but this is her last resort, I was her last resort and I couldn't say no to her."

Tank sighed and sunk his 6'7 frame into one of the conference chairs. He looked at the problem and then turned to Carlos saying, "Well, you did say you would, but I would call her to see if-"

"I can't," Carlos said softly, closing his eyes, "I got a call from someone important, they found her dead in the bathtub, she killed herself to keep the threat at bay."

"How long do you think it'll be before they put two and two together?" Tank asked, placing his hands on the table.

"A long time, in fact, if they don't snoop around too deep, they'll never know," Carlos said closing his eyes and rubbing at his temple, a rare sign of stress from Carlos, "I'm going to do the right thing, Tank, I'm going to assume responsibility of this issue."

"Good luck, man," Tank said, patting Carlos's back, "you're going to need it, but don' worry, we'll be here to help you, you know that."

"Thanks," Carlos said, as his problem began to make itself known, "It's been a while since I had to this, dios…"

Carlos's problem, which sat on the conference table, strapped into a carrier, was an infant, who was maybe two or three months old. The infant was sleeping, but was slowly waking up, looking for something to fill their belly. The baby was a girl, dressed in a snug pink one piece, with a blanket covering her. She was the color of milk chocolate with thick curly black hair. The baby opened small amber eyes and began to wail, moving small fists and turning her head.

Carlos unbuckled the infant from the carrier and picked her up, making noises and rocking her. Tank got up from the table and over to a pink cloth bag, pulling out a baby bottle and a canister of baby formula. He went over to the service table in the conference room and poured not so hot water into the bottle and then dumped some powdered formula into the bottle, screwed the baby bottle top on and shook it several times, before giving it to Carlos. Carlos thanked Tank, checked to make sure the formula wasn't too hot, and then stuck the bottle into the infant's mouth. The baby cried around the nipple for a bit, but went silent and began to eat, her amber eyes closing and her tiny body stilling.

Carlos leaned back in the chair, with the baby and closed his eyes. In the span of 8 hours, he had become a father. He became the father to a child, who had to be separated from her mother and then lost said mother. Carlos looked down at the tiny body in his arms and said, in a soft voice, "Don't worry, Quedria, I'll take care of you, your mother gave me to you, because she knew that I would watch over you better than anyone, I'll see to it that you're never without, Papi's here now…"

Carlos would be the first to admit, he had no clue in child rearing. He had another child, from a previous marriage that didn't pan out. The marriage was one of obligation and barely lasted three months. When his first child was born, a daughter as well, he gave up rights to the girl and let another man adopt her. He had been in the military by then, going into the Rangers and taking the assignments that were hardcore and were usually life threatening. He couldn't see himself as a father, hell he doubt he would ever become a father again. The tiny bundle in his arms had proved him wrong, he would fulfill her mother's wishes and take care of her.

After the baby drank 3 ounces of formula, she began to reject the nipple, making Carlos pull the nipple out of her mouth. Carlos took a burp rag from the pink bag and placed it on his shoulder. He lay the baby on his shoulder and began to pat her back gently. As he patted her back, he thought back to the conversation he had with her mother. It had been a very intense conversation that was still fresh in Carlos's mind and it all happened in this conference room, the same one he had yet to leave, even though it was going well into the night.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Carlos," Tank said, ducking his head into the man's office, "There's a situation down in the lobby of Rangeman."

Carlos, who was knee deep in paperwork, looked up from his work and pulled off his glasses. He leaned back his chair and asked, "What is it?"

"It's a woman, she's looking to talk to you, and uh…she's bought a package along with her," Tank said, earning a blank look from Carlos, "You just need to get down to the lobby, you should have been down there like…10 minutes ago."

Carlos nodded his head and stood up, stretching and cracking his back, before he followed Tank out his office and over to the elevator. It was almost time for the day shift to close up shop and so it was pretty busy on the fifth floor of Rangeman. It also didn't help that it was Friday and many of his men had plans to go out and have a good weekend. The ring leader of the weekend hype, Lester Santos, walked over to Carlos and said, "Carlos, my man, you should go out with us tonight, and find a pretty bird! We'll have a blast and get you laid."

Carlos shook his head and told Lester to start the party off the clock. Lester blew a raspberry at the man in return.

The ride down to the lobby Rangeman, the company Carlos owned, was a quiet one. Tank and Carlos weren't one to have idle conversations and so silence filled the gap. When the elevator doors opened up to the lobby of Rangeman, Carlos stepped out of them and paused, looking at the woman that waited for him, sitting in one of the sleek black chairs reserved for guests. The woman turned her head to Carlos and stood up, walking over to him, holding a carrier in her arms. She gave him a smile and said, in a soft lilt, "Carlos, it's been a while…I would have called you, but…time is of the essence, please, do you have somewhere we could privately talk?"

It had been so long since Carlos had seen the woman in front of him, but when they had first met, it was under different circumstances. She was still a beauty, with milk chocolate skin, soft amber eyes and soft black hair. She was dressed in a winter dress, bundled up against the chill. Carlos did notice dark circles under her eyes and her arms, which held the carrier, were shaking slightly.

"Roxanna," Carlos said, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, "Come with me, I have a private conference room on the fifth floor, do you mind if my friend sits with us?"

Roxanna shook her head and said, "No, I don't mind, it's better if he's there as well, if only for my sake."

Carlos and Tank led Roxanna over to the elevator and took her up to the fifth floor. They bypassed the busy work floor and entered one of the conference rooms that were rarely used. Moments after they entered, Rangeman's house keeper, Ella, came in with a tray of refreshments and utensils before leaving as quietly as she came. Roxanna set the carrier on the table of the conference room and sat down, placing a hand on the handle of the black carrier.

"I have to give you something precious to me, Carlos, because things are going on that'll put what's precious to me in danger," Roxanna said softly, turning the carrier around so Carlos could see the sleeping infant in it, "Please, Carlos, take my child…our child…"

Tank nearly made a sound but Carlos beat him to it by saying, "Is this because of…"

"Yes," Roxanna said softly, placing a pink cloth bag beside the carrier, "It's because of that, I…didn't want to burden you then and I don't want to now, but I've no place to go, you were the only one I knew to come to, and you are this child's father. All my assets and properties are tucked away for her, should you need money to take care of her."

"Why?" Was all Carlos asked, his eyes still on the sleeping infant.

"I'm in over my head, Carlos, remember?" Roxanna asked with a weak smile, "I don't want our child in this mess, I'll take care of the problem, so she can be safe from all of my baggage, I just want you to watch over her, okay?"

Carlos looked into the woman's tired eyes and said, "What are you going to do?"

" I'm going to take care of the problem I have, don't worry, Carlos," Roxanna said, standing up and holding out a piece of paper, "Please...if you don't want her, call this number, this is a last resort, but I know they'll take my child, no problem."

Carlos took the piece of paper and said, "Roxanna…."

"Heidi, her name is Heidi, after that stupid little book you gave me," Roxanna said, letting out a weak sob, "Carlos, you please take her in, if only for a little while, please…"

Carlos watched as Roxanna turned to the carrier and leaned down to kiss the forehead of the sleeping child saying, "Goodbye, little one, make mommy proud, okay? I love you so much."

"Roxanna," Carlos started but the woman shook her head and then rushed over to the door that led into a small room off the side of the conference room and disappeared into it, slamming the door shut. Tank rushed over to the door and opened it, swearing loudly when he found the room empty. He turned to Carlos and asked, "What in the fuck was that?"

"She had to make a hasty exit," Carlos said softly, turning his head back to the infant, "Fuck, Tank, this wasn't what I expected for my weekend…."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Carlos felt the infant burp and then cradled her in the crook of his arm before looking over to Tank. Tank rose an eyebrow and asked, "So what now, Carlos?"

"Well, I need to get some baby things, go get Ella, she'll know what to do," Carlos said, protectively holding the infant closer to his chest, "She should be a natural with children, right?"

"That's what you hope," Tank said, getting up and making the call with his cellphone, "But she's a tiny baby, so no worries, right?"

"Heidi," Carlos said, softly, looking down at the sleeping baby, "My daughter's name is Heidi, and yes, she's not going to be a problem…she's mine and Roxanna's child, after all."

TBC….

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Oh ho...what do think? Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2! Now, chapter one left many questions for you, but I will say this, they'll be answered as the story progresses! Just wait. Anyways, I'm feeling happy, so two chapters in one day!

Warnings: none

Disclaimer in chapter 1

This is unbetaed so any mistakes are my own! :P

ENJOY!

* * *

_The Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 2_

_Stir Crazy_

* * *

"She's so precious," Ella said, as she held the infant in her arms, "I know your poor mother fought tooth and nail to keep you, I understand the sacrifice…"

Carlos gave Ella a look of thanks and said, "What would I do without you, Ella. Heidi woke up in the middle of the night and she wouldn't go back to sleep, I check her diaper and tried to feed her, but she wouldn't stop crying."

"It's alright, Carlos," Ella said as she walked around the living room of Carlos's penthouse, "Babies do this all the time at this age, they cry, sometimes, for the attention, come here, let me show you how to calm her down."

Carlos got up, dressed in only a pair of snug pajama bottoms and took Heidi from Ella, who instructed him to gently pat the baby's back gently and walk around. Babies loved movement, and they loved the contact of their parents. Ella recommended that Carlos take off Heidi's one piece and hold her to his bare skin, so she could bond with him.

"I'm sorry to have woken you up, Ella," Carlos tried to apologize, but Ella waved him off.

"No, it's alright, " Ella said, leaning up and patting Carlos's cheek, "You're a new father and you have a lot to learn, now, Heidi's calm and I'll go back to sleep, have a good night's rest, Carlos."

Carlos walked around the penthouse, bouncing the small body lightly and making his way to the bedroom. He looked around the room and then asked, "Do you think a penthouse is a good place to raise you in, Heidi?"

In the dim light, Carlos could see that Heidi was wide awake, her eyes unfocused but alert and sharp. She was kicking her legs and arms, dressed in a thin one piece. Carlos had turned the heat up in the penthouse, before he put Heidi down to sleep. The crib and the other baby things he ordered would arrive in the morning, so in the meantime, Heidi was sleeping in a little fort, made by Carlos in the middle of the large bed Carlos slept in. That left another problem for Carlos, where would he put all the baby stuff?

When he created the penthouse on the seventh floor of Rangeman, it wasn't built to house a child. It was a place for him to rest his head and for him to think. He wasn't a homey type of man, he usually got calls in the middle of the night from Uncle Sam, and was off like the shadow of the night. The penthouse screamed man, with black furnishings and sliver accents. It lacked personal touches, because he didn't have very much to begin with and it was almost generic. The penthouses that were in Rangeman Miami and Boston were almost identical to the one in Trenton.

Carlos shook his head and said, in a soft voice, "You'll be fine here for a bit, but then, I'll look for a home for us."

Carlos sat down on the edge of the bed and looked down at his daughter. Even after having her for nearly one full day, he couldn't believe it. He was a father, well he was a father before this incident, but he was a legit father, he would be taking care of this tiny creature for next several years. As he looked down at her small frame, he could see bits and pieces of him in her. She had the shape of his eyes, she had his nose and she had dimples, which he could see, whenever she gave him that not so smile. Her tiny fingers would grow into his long pianist fingers and she'll have his chin. She was a beautiful baby, she was his baby.

"Okay, Quedria," Carlos said softly, laying Heidi down in the middle of the fort he built for her, "Time for bed, give me at least three hours to sleep, before you cry."

Carlos ran a hand over Heidi's small tummy before he lay down beside her. He tried to go to sleep, but he couldn't because he was afraid that she might move in her sleep, she might roll off the bed or something else. What if she hurt herself while sleeping, and he couldn't help her because he was sleeping?

That thought alone prevented Carlos from falling asleep again. He kept watch over his child, who fell asleep the instant she was laid on the bed. Carlos finally managed to get an hour's worth of sleep, before Heidi woke up at 5 in the morning, crying for food and from being wet.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Honestly, I don't know what to do with you, Stephanie, Sarah Wonzski's daughter doesn't get fired from a job because she's too pretty, Sarah Wonzski's daughter is a stay at home wife, raising three kids, while her husband works for a computer company, why did my child have to shame me again."

Stephanie Plum rolled her eyes and as she did, someone beside her whispered, "Sarah Wonzski's daughter looks like a mule, remember when you pointed her out to me, Steph, god…."

Stephanie giggled and turned to slap her friend on the arm saying, "Behave, woman!"

Helen Plum, Stephanie's mother, coughed loudly and said, "Stephanie, I don't see why you had to bring a friend with you to Sunday dinner, usually it's a family thing."

Stephanie shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well, Brittany and I were doing things, you know, before you called, and I can't put my life on hold for a pot roast."

"Yeah," Stephanie's friend, Brittany exclaimed, holding up a glass of wine, "As her bestest friend and her personal attorney, I cannot simply leave my friend in her time of need. We were going over litigation to sue Stephanie's former employee, because she was fired under false and illegal pretenses."

"This sounds like a good lifetime movie!" Edna Plum said, leaning back in her seat, "My beautiful granddaughter, fired by her boss, because he hit on her and she said no to his advances and so she'll fight him in court, now, ain't that a pip!"

Frank Plum turned to his child and asked, "Did he put his hands on you?"

"He tried to, but I got him in the balls," Stephanie said, earning a head nod from Frank.

"Good, glad you took care of the problem," Frank said before going back to eating his meal.

"Well, what are you going to do about a job?" Edna asked Stephanie, earning a shrug from the woman.

"Who knows," Stephanie sighed, leaning back in her seat, "I still get alimony, the money I got from the divorce settlement is thriving from the investments I got, maybe I won't work and enjoy my free time."

"Or, maybe you could go and get married," Helen said, quickly, chugging her wine, "You know, that handsome boy, Joe Morelli is-"

"Oh no," Stephanie said waving her hands in front of her, "No Joe, Mother, I'm sorry, but he's out of the question!"

She had heard from her grandmother that Joe Morelli had moved back to Trenton from LA, when his Aunt Rose died and left her house to the man. She hadn't seen Joe in a long time, not since they were 18, when she ran him over with her father's Buick and broke his leg. She should have done more because thanks to him, she had gotten a bad rep in the neighborhood for being loose. The tasty pastry incident was still fresh in her mind even after 11 years. She wouldn't kill Joe, if she saw him, but she would do things to him that weren't ethical.

"You should have tried harder with Dickie, he's a lawyer, he would have taken care of you," Helen said, earning a snort from Stephanie, Brittany, Edna and Frank.

"He was taking care of his little prick, banging the town slut, Helen," Edna said, waving her fork, "Thank goodness Stephanie met this lawyer here, she made sure Dickie was left penniless and paying alimony."

"Yeah," Stephanie said, pushing her plate away, "I don't want to talk about that, okay, you know what, Brittany and I have some things to attend to, maybe coming over to Sunday dinner was a bad thing, come on Brittany, we need to leave."

"Gotcha!" Brittany said, getting up from the table, not before snagging a dinner roll, "Well, see you everyone, Edna, stay beautiful, Frank don't eat too much, Helen, I'll bring you a bottle of whiskey…"

"Come on you," Stephanie said, grabbing her friend's wrist and leading her out the room, "Bye Grandma Mazur, bye Daddy, bye mother, see you all later."

When the two women were in Brittany's dark blue Lexus, they both heaved a sigh of relief and leaned back in the soft seats of the car.

"Man, your mother was on you like a hornet, she's like a dog with a bone about you not being married, what's up with that?" Brittany asked, as she started the car up.

"She's the queen of the 'Burg," Stephanie said, with a causal eye roll, "it makes her look bad, if I'm not married."

"These close knit communities sure are scary," Brittany said, as she drove out of the 'Burg, "It's like the Stepford Wives, but worse."

Stephanie let out a sound and laid back in the leather seat of Brittany's car. Brittany drove for 15 minutes, humming along to her music, before she stopped in front of Stephanie's condo, pulling into the narrow driveway and stopping behind a bright red Mazda Miata. Stephanie got out of Brittany's car and said, "Hey, I was lying about the important things, I'm going to head in, take a shower and maybe pig out on ice cream, you head off."

"I figured as much, but that sounds way better than listening to your mother whine about your hardening ovaries," Brittany said, giving Stephanie a finger salute, "Okay, smell you later, I'll by this week, with some information, and for heaven's sake, Stephanie, don't go stir crazy."

"I won't Stephanie said, as she walked up to her front door and unlocked it, "Promise!"

Brittany drove away from Stephanie's condo and Stephanie entered inside, closing the door and locking it. She kicked off her shoes and made her way into the master bathroom. She took a long luxurious shower and spent an extra five minutes under the spray, using the shower massager. 20 minutes later she was curled up on her couch, eating ice cream and watching a stupid lifetime movie, bemoaning her situation.

She had worked for six years, at lingerie business, buying and selling lingerie for stores and companies. She made good money and enjoyed her job, but two months ago, her boss, an old fart, began to hit on her, asking her out on dates and promising things to her, if she did go out. When she rejected him, the first few times he threatened her, afterwards, he singled her out, harassing her and then he fired her on false pretenses. Lucky for Stephanie, She had a good friend who was an excellent lawyer and so, three days after being fired, Brittany showed up at E.E Martin's with a hefty lawsuit.

It wasn't like Stephanie needed the money, she had plenty of it, but…she just needed a job to keep busy. She needed to do something to prevent herself from going crazy. Maybe she should pick up a hobby, or maybe start her own business. Brittany kept telling her that she could make her own lingerie, so why not do it now, she was sound moneywise and she was about to have more money soon, because Brittany never lost a case. She would call up Brittany in the morning, and tell her the good news, Stephanie Plum was going to open up her own Lingerie shop, right here in Trenton!

Take that, Helen Plum!

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"You know, when I told you to go out and find a bird," Lester said off handedly, bouncing Heidi in his arms, "I meant a bird that you can fuck, not a baby for you to raise!"

"Don't be so loud," Tank hissed, watching Lester bounce Heidi, "She's finally asleep, do you know how long she's been crying, hours."

Carlos nodded his head and said, "Besides, Santos, it's not as if I wanted to become a father, but…her mother is gone now, and I'm not about to give my child away to some strangers."

"You never told me about how you got Heidi's mother knocked up," Lester said, as he walked Heidi around in his arms, "When did you get lucky?"

"Remember that mission almost 2 years ago?" Carlos asked, earning a head nod from Lester, "Yeah…"

"Oh…" Lester said softly, looking down at Heidi's sleeping form, "That mission…okay, I see what happened. Now what are you going to do?"

"I need to buy a house soon, and get some legal things situated," Carlos said, looking down at some paperwork, "I have no doubt in my mind, Heidi is my child, and I would like to see to it that things for her will be in place, just in case something happens. I'll call my lawyer about writing her into my will and set up a trust fund for her."

"You mean that lawyer of yours?" Tank asked, his eyes getting a bit wider, "Please, don't have the meeting here, do you remember what happened?"

"Oh yeah, I remember," Lester said, his eyes getting misty, "We should have the meeting here! I don't mind!"

"I'll set the meeting up after hours, so you won't have to worry Tank," Carlos said, earning a sigh of relief from his friend, "I'll call them up at the end of this week, I want to get things done as soon as possible."

Lester laid Heidi in her bouncer and said, "She's cute, gotta give her that, don't worry, Heidi, Uncle Lester is here, if any boys try to make push you in the mud, I'll whip his little ass, okay?"

Carlos could already see his men getting attach to Heidi and he found out, to his surprise, he didn't mind that situation. His daughter was cute and when she wasn't crying, she was silent, looking around at her surroundings, or trying to look, her eyes weren't focusing yet and the baby book Ella bought for him said that she wouldn't be focusing until she was three or four months old, which means Heidi had to be two months old. Carlos would be around to see every milestone and to celebrate every little thing that Heidi did.

A weird feeling bubbled up in Carlos's chest and he almost cracked a smile.

TBC...

* * *

Stephanie appears on the horizon! Like I said, though, this is a slow building babe, so enjoy the ride! Please leave a review, They make me write like I'm on speed!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3, enjoy! Things will be answered...sooner or later, but for now, enjoy story building moments! Later!

Warnings: None

Disclaimer in chapter 3

Enjoy!

* * *

_A Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 3_

_Sharks_

* * *

"I called you three days ago and now you show up!" Stephanie said, opening the door for Brittany, "Where in the hell were you?"

"I have other clients, you know," Brittany said, tossing her suitcase on the loveseat that sat in Stephanie's living room, "Now, what's this about opening a business?"

"You kept telling me that I should start designing lingerie and so, that's what I want to do, let's open a business!" Stephanie said, with a smile, making Brittany blink.

"Oh…" Brittany said, sitting down on the loveseat, "You're serious, you have that look in your eye, when you're hell bent on something…"

"Look!" Stephanie said, rushing over to the dining room table and holding up an art pad, "I stayed up for the last two nights, coming up with novel designs! They're awesome and you're not going to find these styles in Victoria Secret!"

Brittany got and went over to Stephanie's table and looked at the sketches. She hummed and turned several pages before she looked up and asked, "So, how much do you need, to open this shop up?"

Stephanie let out a squeal and hugged Brittany tightly, "It shouldn't be that much! I have a bunch of money from investments and you're a rich lawyer!"

"Eh…" Brittany said, pushing Stephanie off her, "I'm not that rich, but I'll be almost rich soon!"

"Okay, I'll look at the costs of creating a shop and then we'll get on it!" Stephanie said, spinning around Brittany, "Thank you so much, Brittany, you're such a good friend!

"Yeah, yeah, but anyways," Brittany said, looking down at the designs, "I would buy like a bunch of these designs, you went to school for business?! Why not design, or at least minored in design?"

"I didn't think I was that good in it, so I never really pushed myself," Stephanie said with a shrug, "Now that I see you reaction, maybe I should have done a bit more."

"Yeah, but these are great!" Brittany said with a smile, sitting down at the table, "Design some more, I have a client that I'm doing Pro-bono work for, she makes clothes, I'll tell her about you and then see if she wants to set up a meeting with you and maybe create some of these pieces."

"Okay, thanks," Stephanie said, going over to the kitchen and getting out some coffee cups, "Do you want some doughnuts, I got some this morning and they're really tasty."

"Okay, thanks!" Brittany said, just as her cell phone went off, "Hello Brittany S. Attorney at Law, how may I help you?"

Stephanie heard Brittany talk in a soft voice and then yelp, "What?! When!? 20 minutes, shit, alright, I'll be there soon, Okay, yes, yes, I won't do that again, I couldn't help myself, okay, oh, yes, please ask if she could do that, no…chocolate, thank you! See you soon, bye!"

Brittany jumped up from the table and shouted, "I have an emergency client meeting to go to, I'll see you this weekend, okay? See ya Steph!"

Stephanie huffed as Brittany ran out the house in a flurry. She couldn't believe that hussy just left her! She sat down at the dining room table and grabbed the sketch pad and began to draw more designs on the blank pages, when she got back with Brittany on Saturday, she'll have enough designs to fill a shop.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"She's about two months along," Bobby said, as he gently placed a stethoscope on Heidi's chest, "Her lungs sound healthy and her heart beat is strong, now I do have some concerns about her immunization records…they don't exist."

Carlos could see where this was going and his child was not going to like it at all. Bobby, Rangeman's doctor, crossed his arms and said, as Carlos picked up Heidi, "She's going to need a few shots, maybe…five of them. I'll do two today, and three next week, but she needs to be immunized, I'll give you some baby pain killers to give her, because it's going to hurt, I'm not going to lie."

"Okay, let's do it quickly," Carlos said, as Bobby measured out some purple medicine in a baby dropper.

"Let's give this to her first," Bobby said, as he came over with the dropper, "She might eat it with no problems, but if she doesn't, hold her cheeks open."

Heidi took the medicine with no problems, her eyes open and trying to focus on the person in front of her. She jumped slightly as Bobby ran an alcohol swab over her thigh and wailed as he jabbed her with the syringe. She let out another fresh batch of wails as he gave her the last shot and placed a pink band-aid on the shot area. Carlos picked up the crying baby and patted her back.

"I know, shots hurts," Bobby said, rubbing Heidi's head, "It's going to hurt for a bit, and it's going to bruise, just keep pressure off the area and she'll be fine."

"Thanks Bobby," Carlos said, as he placed Heidi in her one piece, "I know, Quedria, it hurts, let's get you a bottle and put you down for a nap."

Carlos bounced Heidi in his arms as he took the elevator up to the fifth floor, he had called his lawyer 30 minutes ago, and hopefully, they'll be waiting for him up in his office. Heidi was still crying loudly in Carlos's arms and the man was at a lost with what to do. When he got to the fifth floor, he would call Ella and she'll do something about Heidi.

When the elevator made it to the fifth floor, Carlos made a beeline to his office, but was intercepted by his lawyer, who plucked Heidi from his arms and began to look at the baby.

"Shots, eh?" His lawyer asked, walking past Carlos and entering the break room of Rangeman, "Ah…they're always painful, oh you poor dear, it's alright, Brittany has you now…"

Carlos blinked and then turned to Brittany, who, with one hand, grabbed a few ice cubes from the freezer , held them tightly in her hand and then drop them into a plastic cup. She took off the Band aid and gently pressed her cold wet hand to the site, taking it off and pressing again gently. She did this several times until the wails Heidi made turned into little whimpers and then silence.

"So, you wanted to see me, I was in the middle of making a huge investment when you called," Brittany said, wrapping an ice cube in a cloth and pressing it gently against Heidi's thigh, "I take it the meeting is for this baby in my arms, right?"

"She stopped crying, how'd you do that?" Carlos was genuinely curious and it had Brittany laughing out loud, patting the baby's back.

"My mom had another child when I was 17, and I spent most of my time taking care of him, while she was at work," Brittany said, with a shrug, "Plus, I have several second and third cousins who are babies, they're all my little babies, heaven knows, I ain't having none."

"Is this a female thing?" Carlos asked, as Brittany got up, watching her maneuver the baby into the crook of her arm, "Ella has no problem with her and now you."

"Eh…I don't think so, this comes from experience," Brittany said, walking past Carlos and over to his office, "Come on, daddy, let's talk."

Brittany sat down in front of Carlos's desk and then adjusted Heidi in her arms. Carlos sat behind his desk and said, in a serious voice, "I want to put Heidi, the baby in your arms, in my current will."

Brittany nodded her head and said, "It's no problem, but where is her mother, I assume you're the father."

"She died almost a week ago, I wish I could tell you more, Brittany, but I can't," Carlos said, earning a soft nod from the woman in front of him.

"We're all privy to our own secrets," Brittany said softly, before she got up and gave Carlos his daughter, "Now, all I need for you is to rewrite your will, adjust it any way you please, get two witnesses and I'll get it notarized."

Carlos not only liked the woman in front of him, he respected her a great deal. It took a lot to get Carlos's respect and not many people outside his close network had it. Brittany was his personal lawyer and she was Rangeman's lawyer. When all the other lawyers in the area refused to be seen with people they deemed as thugs and criminals, Brittany stepped in and told Carlos that she never judged a person by the cover of their books. She settled into the Rangeman pattern with ease. When jobs went down south and his men were arrested, it seemed that Brittany got to the police department before Carlos knew that his men were under arrest. She was quick and efficient when she dealt with the cops and when she was in the court, she always won her cases, even if it seemed things were against her. All the secrets and personal information Carlos told Brittany was never spoken to anyone else and the woman treated his men as close friends, she knew all their names and she even had favorites. Lester was her favorite Rangeman and Lester, in his own words, 'Loved him some Brittany." When it came to Brittany, looks could be deceiving and she used it to her advantage. During court sessions, most lawyers going against Brittany would take a look at the small statured woman, and laugh, only to scurry out the courtroom when she beat them good. In Carlos's eyes, Brittany was more adorable and cute than sexy. He was very protective over her and in return Brittany was very protective of Carlos. She didn't look at Carlos in the way most women did, as a walking sex machine, she saw Carlos for him, a quiet man who made it his mission to live in solitude. It didn't help that she was also trying to break that solitude.

Carlos nodded his head and then frowned as Brittany pulled up her suitcase and took out a piece of paper. She gave Carlos and firm look and said, "Carlos Manoso, I have a bone to pick with you…about your little ex in Florida."

Carlos leaned back in his chair and said, "Talk…" earning a huff from Brittany.

"You can't order me around, mister, Special Ops!" Brittany said, tossing the paper down in front of Carlos, "Do you see this Carlos? Your accountant faxed it to me, because he's concerned about the expenses labeled to your ex, not your child. See look it, you're paying out the ass on child support and you also pay for health insurance, school tuition, and other expenses that might occur when raising a young child. Carlos, I don't care if you think money grows on trees, but you are paying close to 20k a month to that woman."

Carlos shifted Heidi into his other arm and said, "Brittany, we've gone through this before, I'm only doing what's best-"

"Bullshit," Brittany said, standing up and plucking the infant from Carlos's arms, "If you want to do best for your child in Florida, you'd go down and be a part of her life, do you know, I got a letter from Rachel's lawyer about an increase in child support, because she's about to hit puberty-ah ha, see, you're about to jump out your seat and call your accountant to make the increase, you sit back down, I've already dealt with that little issue, Manoso, she's not getting another damn dime from you, in fact, I'm going to the Florida family court system and put in a motion for to decrease the amount of money you give Rachel. It's ridiculous, and your accountant isn't pleased with you, which is why he came to me first, before he came dragging his feet into this office."

Carlos leaned back in his seat, watching Brittany prowl across his office, oh she wasn't too happy with him, when she called him by his last name. Carlos never had a problem with the system he had with Rachel, the mother of his older child. She was well taken care of and got the best of everything, even if Carlos didn't give it to her physically. Why was Brittany having a problem with it now? Carlos gave Brittany a look, and then sat up and asked, in a soft voice, "What is she doing with the money?"

"Don't know, but it ain't going to raising your child, we're taking care of this problem ASAP," Brittany said, stopping her pacing to check on Heidi's injection site, "Besides, you have a baby to worry about now, and I want to be sure that you're taking care of her to the best of your abilities."

Carlos closed his eyes and said, with a chuckle, "Brittany, you're a shark out for blood, and there's no way I'm going to be able to stop you, right?"

"Right," Brittany said, with a smile, bouncing Heidi in her arms, "Now, here, take your child, she's going to need a diaper change soon."

"How do you know that?" Carlos asked, as he took Heidi from Brittany.

"She's been farting in my arms for the last three minutes, you better keep an eye out for colic, it's a bitch, I have to go and get things done now, smell ya later, Manoso!" Brittany exclaimed, before she gave Carlos a finger wave and then left the office.

Carlos looked down at Heidi and then grabbed her waiting bottle, which she latched onto quickly, guzzling down her meal. Carlos looked down into sleepy amber eyes and felt the urge to protect this tiny being in his arms swell. Brittany was right, Carlos had an infant daughter to deal with, and he couldn't let his pastbaggage hinder him. If the money he was giving her wasn't being used on his oldest child, then things needed to fixed and fast. Carlos was right to hire Brittany as his lawyer, she'll fix this problem quickly and without any issues.

Carlos lifted Heidi up on his shoulder and patted her back. As he patted her back, he paused, feeling something wet on the his fingers. He looked down at Heidi's back and let out a sound, seeing that Brittany had been, right, Heidi needed a diaper change, but now, she really needed a bath, since she decided that her diaper couldn't carry all of her poo and so it spread all down her back and by the looks of it, his work short.

"Well, Ella did say you needed skin to skin contact," Carlos said, getting up and making his way to the elevator to go up to the penthouse, "But I don't think she meant it that way, Quedria."

Carlos gave Heidi one of his rare small smiles and was surprised when Heidi gave him a gummy smile, though it only lasted as long as his smile did. Carlos felt his heart jump slightly and he said, in a low voice, "Maybe I should smile more, so I can a reaction like that from you again, but don't tell my men that, I still have to be the boss around here, okay?"

TBC….

* * *

Don't worry, Stephanie and Carlos will meet soon! I have to get that ball rolling! See ya soon, I'm going to take a long nap! Please leave a review!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4!

Warnings:None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Enjoy!

* * *

_The Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 4_

_The Champ_

* * *

"The bitch was smart, she got rid of any evidence that she even existed, no IDs, no accounts, nothing," A person grunted, as they went through the drawers in a large bedroom, "Nothing, no clothes, just bare cabinets and closets."

"Well keep looking for anything," Another person, knocking on the walls in the bedroom, "We need to find any information about what that freak was hiding, nothing good if she offed herself."

Several hours later, the house had been thoroughly searched and whatever they were looking for was still hidden away from them. The people looking through the empty house made a call and moments later, they were gone and the house that they had ransacked was up in flames, from a 'gas leak.' With their mission a bust, they now had to face the one who sent them on the case and they were not pleased.

"What secret did you leave for me to find, Roxanna, my sweet, dear Roxanna…no matter, get the men and find any information you can on Roxanna, her files and information are going to be secure tightly, I'll give you the equipment to get through any issues and if anyone stands in your way, kill them, I'll not have any hindrance. I want Roxanna's secret and I want it now."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"What?!" Stephanie exclaimed, looking down at the paper, while Brittany looked over her shoulder, "This is…there are seven figures on this paper!"

"Of course, with the cost of the lease, utilities, and all your goods and labor, it's going to cost you around 1.3 million to get started on this business venture," The man in front of the two women said, looking up at the, "You need to also take into consideration the are you've chosen to set up shop. It's a pretty upscale part of Trenton, the property values are going to be a lot higher."

Stephanie leaned back in the seat of the bank and rubbed her eyes. She really wanted to open up this shop, but with the start up cost that high, it was damn near impossible. Stephanie watched as Brittany grabbed the piece of paper and said, "We'll speak to you on a later date, give us a moment to go over the figures and crunch some numbers."

Brittany slipped the piece of paper into her suitcase and then motioned for Stephanie to get up and follow her out the bank. Once they were inside Stephanie's Miata, Brittany took out the piece of paper and tore it up, making Stephanie choke.

"We're not getting a loan from that bank, they're trying to take you to the cleaners, with me as well, who told you about this bank?" Brittany asked, as Stephanie started her car.

"Oh, well, I was talking with someone about setting up a shop and they told me that Trenton National would be my best bet," Stephanie said, as she drove down the street, "Do you think I've been duped?"

"No, but we're not going to get a loan that has an interest rate of 25 percent, with minimum payments of 1500 a month, you'll never break even," Brittany said, looking down into her suitcase, "Look, I have several commercial properties, I think one is a store front in Hamilton Township, My property manager was talking to me about an empty storefront and people were interested in setting up shop there, I'll tell you what, you go take a look at it and then come back to me and see if you want to use it, I'll give you a nice discount, since you already use me for your legal services, m'kay?!"

Stephanie nodded her head and said, "Okay, but this isn't a handout, it's just an investment, right?"

"Right," Brittany said as they pulled into Pino's, "I like making money and so do you."

"I didn't know you owned real estate," Stephanie said, as the two women got out of the car, "When did you start doing that?"

"About three years back, when I was 23, my grandpa died and left me with a lot of money," Brittany said, opening the door to Pino's, "My economics professor helped me invest it in small properties and then I watched the money I had grow, it's a really good investment, once you start making profit with your small time investments, I'll hook you up with my money manager."

Stephanie gave Brittany a small of appreciation and said, "You are the best lawyer ever, my last lawyer would never even hang out with me! What a bore…."

"Meh, don't worry about it," Brittany said, with a wink, before she ordered a Pepsi for Stephanie and a glass of wine for herself.

Stephanie was glad to have found Brittany, she was truly a diamond in the rough. She had found the woman two days after finding her husband banging a woman on their dining room table. Stephanie, in a fit of rage, tossed them out into the front yard, buck naked, grabbed her husbands things and lit them on fire, causing a huge bonfire in the middle of the lawn. Afterwards, the cops arrived when her husband tried to get her arrested, but, like magic, Brittany showed up and said a lot of big lawyer words and then got her husband and the cops off her back. Brittany took Stephanie's husband to the cleaners and set her up for a long time. Plus, Brittany was an excellent friend and though she may have two screws missing upstairs, she was sharp as a tack and her bite was much worse than her bark.

Stephanie sipped her drink and talked to Brittany about trivial things and enjoyed their time together. It wasn't really lunch time yet, so Pino's was half full with blue collar workers and several of Trenton's finest police officers. As their pizza arrived at their table, the door to Pino's opened and a crowd of Trenton police officers came in, loud and chatting about last night's hockey game. They made their way to the booth behind Stephanie and Brittany and sat down, pulling up chairs and talking loudly. Stephanie felt her eye twitch as one man jerked a chair against their table, jarring her cup and almost making it spill. She turned to group and said, "Do you mind? My friend and I are trying to eat in peace!"

"Cupcake?" One of the men said, making Stephanie jerk to look at them and made Brittany choke on her pizza, "Stephanie…Stephanie Plum!"

It took Stephanie a moment to see who was calling out to her but once she saw who it was she let out along groan. Joe Morelli, the detective who came back from busy LA. He was a tall man, with Italian blood running through him. He had a hair full of thick brown locks, warm chocolate eyes and a lithe yet toned body. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue sweater that looked tight over his frame. Oh he was handsome alright, but all Stephanie saw was his little smirk, the same smirk he gave her nearly 11 years ago, when she has been a young naïve school girl, working in the Tasty Pastry.

She would not let that happen again, no matter what he tried.

"Joe, I heard you're back in town," Stephanie said, as she leaned over and punched Brittany in the back, helping her cough up the piece of pizza she was choking on, "What happened, LA too big for you and you wanted to come back to the small town?"

Joe chuckled and said, "Nah, I got a job offer here, a bigger and better one, and so I took it, plus, I took over my aunt's house, so I kind of had to come back."

Stephanie nodded her head nonchalantly and narrowed her eyes as Joe chuckled and said, "You're looking good, Cupcake, you're still looking nice and sweet to eat…"

"If you ever-" Stephanie started but was cut off as Brittany stood up suddenly, tossed several bills on the table and said, as she slipped her phone into her purse "Stephanie, we have to go, now, we'll take pizza with us, but we have to go now, one of my clients has an emergency and we need to be there."

Stephanie grabbed her purse and coat, turned to Joe and said, "Well, this was a nice meeting, see you never!"

Brittany placed the pizza box in the back of Stephanie's Miata and said, "Head to this address, and get there quickly."

Stephanie knew her way around like the back of her hand so she zoomed down several side streets and the like until she was parked in front of a neat small cottage that was situated on the outskirts of the factory row houses. Brittany and Stephanie climbed out the car and made their way up the sidewalk to the house. The door to the house opened and a woman who was slightly overweight, opened the door and wailed, "Brittany! He did it again! He took my panties and left his mark on my bed!"

The woman in front of Stephanie was darker than Brittany's milk chocolate skin tone, and had her hair up in pink braids. She wore a soft pink dress in a style Stephanie had never seen. She was moaning and hugging Brittany before she let go and said, "I can't stay in this house! I don't want to call the cops, they give me the heebie jeebies!"

"Calm down, Lula," Brittany said giving the woman a smile, "Look, let's go and pack a bag for you, I'll the cops and then get you settled into a hotel."

The woman named Lula nodded her head and then turned to Stephanie and asked, "Who is this? Is she a lawyer too?"

"No, this is Stephanie, remember, I talked to you about her, she's the one who wants to open the lingerie shop, remember I showed some of her designs to you?"

"Oh shit, yeah, damn," Lula said with a smile, pulling Stephanie into a hug, "Hey, the name's Lula, I make clothing, and I work at a hair salon!"

Stephanie patted Lula's back and said, "nice too meet you, so…what's going on, if you mind me asking?"

"Brittany's my lawyer, I'm having a problem with the salon I'm working with and she took my case," Lula said smiling at Brittany, "And she's doing it for free too, I'm glad she's my lawyer! Anyways, lately I've been having this problem with a stalker, and now he broke into my home, took my panties and jizzed on my bed, nasty!"

"Ew," Stephanie said, placing a hand on Lula's shoulder, "Hey, I know I just met you, but you're always welcomed to stay in my home, you know, cause hotels kind of suck."

"I don't want to impose on you-" Lula said but Stephanie waved Lula off saying, "Nonsense, it'll be fine, I live by myself anyways! I have a room you can sleep in."

"Thanks, let me just pack a bag," Lula said, letting Brittany and Stephanie into her house, "Make yourself at home, Stephanie, Brittany, he left a note too, here it is."

Brittany to the note, read it and then folded it up and put it in her suitcase saying, "I'm going to make a call, real fast, okay?"

"So, I was looking at your sketches and I have to say," Lula said, as she came back with a bag, "They're awesome and when I make them, I'm going to use some real fine materials, silk, lace, satin, the good shit, cause that's what they need."

"I don't think they're that good," Stephanie said, with a smile, shrugging her shoulders, "Anyways, I have some more designs, but we should really think about using synthetic materials too, so we appease people who can't afford silk."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Babies are boring at this age," Lester confessed, watching Heidi sleep in her bouncer, "You know, when I became Heidi's uncle, I was expecting action, or something, but not this, all she does is sleep, eat and cry, and have colic and shit on you."

Carlos looked up from his paperwork and said, "Santos, don't you have work?"

"Finished, please, it wasn't that hard," Lester said, as Heidi began to stir in her bouncer, "Ah! She's awake, finally, some Uncle Lester time!"

Lester picked the infant up from the bouncer and said, "Hey, punk, let's go see the men, they may look like scary men, but one look at you and they're going to turn into giant teddy bears!"

Carlos made a mental note to put Lester on the monitors for a week, just as his phone went off. He looked down and saw Brittany's name and answered the phone with a quick, "Talk."

"Manners! You brute of a man," Brittany sighed but then she said in a soft voice, "Carlos, I need some help, one of my clients, her name is Lula, she has a stalker, I don't know where she picked him up at but he's dangerous."

"Do you have a name?" Carlos asked, leaning forward, earning a noise of confirmation from Brittany.

"I do, he goes by the nickname The Champ, but we both know who that is," Brittany said, earning a hiss from Carlos.

"Benito Ramirez," Carlos said softly, looking out the window in his office, "What did your client do to attract his attention?"

"I don't know, but I need some security on her," Brittany said, her voice getting softer, "She's staying at one of my friend's house, but if you could do me this favor, I'll be grateful."

"You got it," Carlos said, grabbing a pen, "Tell me your friend's address, and I send Tank and Cal over there today."

Brittany gave Carlos the address and then said, "Okay, thank you so much Carlos-"

"Do you need security as well?" Carlos asked, earning a snort from Brittany, "I don't want to chance it, Brittany."

"No, I don't need security, I'm not the one he's after," Brittany said, her voice tight, "I have to go now, wait, how's Heidi?"

"Good, Lester is spoiling her," Carlos said, earning a sigh from Brittany.

"Love me some Lester," Brittany giggled, which made Carlos smile to himself, "Okay, now I have to-"

"I have a question for you, Brittany," Carlos said, into his phone, "Ella says that I should have godparents for Heidi, so I was thinking that you would be her Godmother."

"Oh...well that's an honor I'll wear with pride, Carlos," Brittany said with pure honesty, "Now I'll have to buy her a cute shirt that says something sweet about me! Okay, smell ya later, Carlos!"

Carlos hung up the phone and then called Tank into his office, "Tank, one of Brittany's client has a stalker, can you go to this address and check on them, apparently, it's The Champ and we all know he means business…"

Tank nodded his head and said, "You got it, who's riding with me?"

"Cal, just keep a watch out on the house and the occupants, if they leave, follow them, but if something happens, interact with them," Carlos said, earning a nod from Tank.

"Leaving in five," Tank said, taking the piece of paper that had the address written on it, "Anything else, Carlos?"

"No, but tell Santos to bring Heidi back, it's time to feed her," Carlo said, earning a nod from Tank.

"Take it easy man," Tank said, walking out the office and telling Lester to come back into Carlos's office with the baby.

Lester gave Heidi to Carlos, who took her bottle, which was held in a bottle warmer and gave it to his daughter. Carlos looked over o Lester and said, "Santos, I want you to keep watch over Brittany, one of her clients has a dangerous stalker and they mean business. Brittany's telling me one thing but my gut is telling me something else, and I don't go against my gut feelings."

"Shit, I gotcha," Lester said, saluting Carlos who gave him a blank stare, "I'll leave right away."

Lester left his office in a rush, leaving Carlos and Heidi. Carlos looked down at the baby who was looking up at him as she ate. He lifted her up slightly and ran his nose down her cheek saying, "Don't soften my men, they have images to keep up too."

The only things he go from Heidi were two blinks from her eyes.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie let out a yawn, stumbling out her bedroom and over to her door. It was 2 in the fucking morning, who in the hell was trying to see her?! Stephanie grumbled loudly, turned the lights on and cracked the door open slightly to reveal a tall hulking man on her door step. If he wanted to rob her, he would have already done it, since he was a fucking giant! Stephanie blinked her sleepy eyes and then asked, "What do you want at this horrible hour?!"

"Stephanie Plum, right?" The man asked, making Stephanie nod her head, "My name is Tank, I'm a friend of your lawyer, Brittany. I got a call from a colleague of mine, Brittany was abducted from her home earlier tonight and was found in an abandoned house on Stark Street."

"What?!" Stephanie whispered with shock, her hand flying to her neck, "What…what happened?!"

"I don't have all the details yet, but I need for you and your friend to come with me to the hospital, she's in surgery right now, so you won't be able to see her yet," Tank said, just as Stephanie grabbed her purse and coat.

"I'll get Lula up and then we'll leave, please, come in," Stephanie said, rushing over to Lula's room and knocking on her door, "Lula, get up, we have to go to the hospital, Brittany's in trouble."

Stephanie pulled her coat on and then asked Tank, "Is she in bad shape?"

"Whoever took her wasn't gentle, he left her black and blue, sadly," Tank said, earning a sob from Stephanie, "She'll be fine, once she's out of surgery."

"Let's hurry and get to the hospital then," Stephanie said, just as Lula came out her room, "I know she's going to need all the support she can get."

TBC….

* * *

Next chapter, Stephanie and Carlos meet and some secrets will be spilled!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5, enjoy!

Warnings: mentions of Rape and Violence

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review? owo

* * *

_The Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 5_

_New Careers_

* * *

The moment Carlos got the call from Lester, he knew something serious had happened to Brittany. Carlos had been asleep, with Heidi lying on his chest when his cellphone went off, though, thankfully, the ringtone didn't set Heidi off.

"Talk," Carlos said, shifting Heidi on his chest and sitting up.

"Brittany was taken from her home 10 minutes ago, I've lost visuals of her, but I know The Champ took her, he probably took her back to Stark Street, I'm going to need some backup getting to her."

"I'll send some men to Stark Street now," Carlos said, getting up and going over to a drawer and pulling out warm clothes for Heidi to wear, "I'll notify Bobby to call the local hospital, because The Champ isn't going to let her go with just a few bruises."

"I'll kill that son of a bitch," Lester said, as Carlos placed Heidi in a winter one piece, "He's dead…"

"Join the cue," Carlos said, before he hung up and placed Heidi in her car seat, "Come on, Quedria, time to go deal with bad guys."

Carlos grabbed Heidi's baby bag and then got on the elevator to go down to the garage. He would have left the baby with Ella, but he had been doing that a lot lately and Ella had a whole building to take care of. Maybe he should take Tank's advice and hire a nanny for Heidi. At this stage in life, Heidi did nothing but eat and sleep, but soon she'll be mobile and active, and Carlos knew that she would need to have someone around her to take care of her 24/7. Of course he'll be there, but he had to run a company too, and it would be good to have some help with the baby.

He wouldn't just let anyone near his child, of course, he'll run extensive background and screenings on the nanny and then make them live on site. This was his child's safety he was concerned about and he would make sure that Heidi got the best nanny out there.

Carlos placed Heidi in the back of the Cayenne and began the short journey to the hospital. On his way to the hospital, he called Bobby and had the man get a team ready for Brittany. The champ was a ruthless and crazy man, and he didn't hold back either. Carlos could only hope that Lester got to The Champ before he did something dangerous.

Moments later, he was in the hospital parking lot and just as he got there, a black Rangeman SUV sped through to the emergency room entrance and parked in the front. Carlos climbed out the car, took Heidi's carrier out of the car and then made his way over to the SUV. Lester rushed out the SUV, wrenched opened the back door and gently took out Brittany's crumpled and batter form. When the man saw Carlos, he shook his head and said, "I shot him in the abdomen, he'll survive but he'll be weak, maybe even trying to find a hospital later on, when the heat dies down."

Carlos looked down at Brittany's form and noticed that the clothes she had on were torn and stained with blood, her skirt was nothing but tattered strips of cloth hanging on to the waistband. Carlos gave Lester a look and Lester closed his eyes and nodded his head curtly, before rushing Brittany into the hospital.

Carlos closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, making his way into the hospital. He would send his men out to go and look for The Champ and Carlos would show him what happened when you hurt someone who had close ties with Carlos Manoso.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie felt Lula nudge her shoulder and whisper, "I didn't think Brittany knew any single hot fathers…I thought she wasn't the type to date men with children."

Stephanie turned to look at the source of Lula's question and said, "I don't think she's going out with him, Lula, I think that he's a close friend, now the one pacing the floor of the hospital, the green eyed man, I think he's Brittany's man."

Lula made a noise in the back of her throat and then suddenly stood up saying, with tears in her eyes, "It's my fault, Stephanie! The Champ or whoever he is was stalking me, not Brittany! He should have come after me, not her. Now she's fighting for her life, we don't even know what that monster did to her, where's her doctor?!"

Stephanie could see the hysterics that were bubbling in Lula's throat, and everyone was on edge right now and Lula's screams wouldn't help the mood out at all. Stephanie made to stand and calm Lula down but Tank got to Lula first. He wrapped an arm around the woman and said, "Come on, you need some fresh air before you pass out, I'll take her outside for a bit"

Stephanie thanked the man and sighed as Lula left with the man. She turned to looked at the man pacing the hallway of the emergency room area and then to the man who held a baby in his arms. Both men had been in the emergency room longer than Stephanie and Lula, possibly for hours. Right now the sun was rising in the winter sky, but it wasn't sunny outside. The clouds were low and heavy with the threat of snow. Stephanie wondered how Brittany knew these men, maybe through a client or something but they must be important to Brittany because they were here and they had no plans to leave the area.

Stephanie looked back down at her hands but looked up as the baby in the man's arms began to cry loudly. The handsome father tried to feed the baby but she would accept the nipple. He checked he diaper but found her dry. The man began to bounce the baby in his arms, but that didn't help and the baby's wails got louder. Stephanie wasn't one to like children, they kind of scared her, but she couldn't just sit here, while the man couldn't get the baby to calm down. Her sister had a couple of kids and maybe she could help him calm her down with what she remembered from when her nieces were babies.

Stephanie got up and made her way over to the father and child and asked, "Do you need some help?"

The man's chocolate brown eyes landed on Stephanie's form and then he said, "She's just tired, I'll put her down to sleep."

"It sounds like she's in a bit of pain," Stephanie said, patting the baby's back gently and pausing at the bottom of the baby's back, "Oh, she has a big gas bubble here, pat her back here and this should take care of the problem."

The man raised one eyebrow, but Stephanie placed her hands on her hips and said, "Come on now, it won't hurt to try at least!"

The man began to pat the baby's back in the area Stephanie pointed to. After several moments, the baby suddenly stopped crying and let out a loud burp, loud for her age. She was silent soon after, her eyes big, as if she surprised herself with the big burp. Stephanie smiled to the man and said, "See, all better now! That bubble must have been painful, the poor dear, but now she should be fine."

The man have her a blank stare and asked, "How do you do that?"

"Oh, I don't know," Stephanie said with a shrug, "I mean, I have nieces and I saw them a lot when they were babies, and my friend has a few babies, it's not that hard to pick up on some advice."

The man gave Stephanie a pointed look and then said, "Thank you for helping Heidi."

Stephanie nodded her head and said, "No problem , by the way, how do you know Brittany?"

"She's my lawyer, and respected friend, the same for you, right?" The man asked, tucking the baby in one of his mocha latte toned arms.

"Right," Stephanie said turning to look down the emergency area hospital's wing, "I hope she's okay…"

"She's a fighter, she'll be fine," The man said, standing up and then handing the baby to Stephanie, "Hold her for a minute, I think Brittany's doctor is coming out to tell us some news."

"Oh! Wait, I'm a stranger!" Stephanie squeaked, shuffling the baby in her arms, "You shouldn't give me your child, I could run off with her."

The man turned to Stephanie, gave her a dazzling smile and said, "Don't worry, Babe, I trust you with her life, it's a gut feeling."

Stephanie sighed and held the squirming baby to her chest. She had to admit, the baby smelled like sweet scented baby powder and maybe like the cologne her father put on her. He was handsome, with thick black hair that fell to his shoulders, which were thick with muscles. He must have been of Latin American descent, due to his accent and his skin tone. He was dressed in black, looking intimidating though the look was shot to hell, when he had the baby in his arms. She was adorable too, she would have her father's good looks, but there were some features that were entirely someone else's features maybe her mother's but where was the baby's mother?

Stephanie walked over to the men and the woman dressed in green scrubs and asked, "How is Brittany? Is she alright?"

The woman pulled down her mask and said, looking serious, "She was beaten pretty badly, several bruised organs, a ruptured spleen, a fractured skull and she suffered several broken bones, including a few vertebrates, thankfully, Brittany is not showing any signs of paralysis. We ran a rape kit-"

"She was raped?" Stephanie gasped, tightening her grip around the infant, "Oh god…"

"We were able to collect samples of her rapist's semen, but he did some irreparable damage on her reproductive system, we had to remove her ovaries and parts of her uterus, they were damaged beyond repair."

The man beside the doctor, the one with green eyes growled and said, in a low voice, "I'm going to find that fucker, and tear him apart, I'll make him suffer the same way he made Brittany suffer…"

"Stand down," the other man, Mister Handsome said firmly, "We'll deal with this later, right now, Brittany needs us, is she awake?"

"Barely, but she is asking for one Mr. Carlos Manoso," The doctor said, making the single father nod his head, "Are you him? If so, please follow me, keep the visit time down to 10 minutes, please ,she needs her rest."

Carlos, now that Stephanie knew his name, turned to Stephanie and said, "I'll her that you're out here, waiting for her."

"I trust you," Stephanie said, repeating what Carlos told her earlier about his baby.

"Good," Carlos said, before he followed the doctor to Brittany's room.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Carlos…sorry for looking like shit, at the moment," was the first thing Brittany said to the man as he came into her private room.

"It's okay, Bella," Carlos said softly, pulling a chair up to Brittany's hospital bed and sitting on it, "You've had a rough night…"

"You only call me Bella, when the situation is very bad," Brittany said, her swollen eyes closing, "Sorry to have worried you, thank goodness you had Lester follow me, right? I'd be in worse shape than this if he hadn't found me yet…The Champ had some friends along with him, and after they beat me up and The Champ raped me, they were going to rape me too…"

Carlos didn't want to think about the what ifs, they all ended with Brittany dying. Carlos grabbing Brittany's hand, which was in a brace and said, in a soft voice, "Your other friends are outside, for moral support, they wanted you to know that."

"Stephanie and Lula," Brittany said, with a weak smile, "The other day, they came to me about a black SUV following them for the last few weeks, and I giggled a bit, those two are a riot…."

Carlos gave Brittany a rare smile and then said, "Don't worry Bella, I'll find The Champ, and I'll make sure he pays, in spades…."

"I'm not fit to go to court and bail you, Carlos," Brittany said with a weak chuckle, "I have something to tell you…The Champ wasn't acting out on his own, he was following orders, Jimmy Alpha's orders. The Champ told me, before he slammed my head into the wall, that Jimmy sent his heartfelt greetings and to enjoy my time with The Champ…it was never Lula he was after, Carlos, it was me."

"Why?" Carlos said, his voice serious, "Brittany you need to tell me and don't hold back…"

"Wasn't going to," Brittany said softly, looking over to Carlos, "About a year ago…The Champ got into some serious trouble, like murder trouble, and Jimmy came to me, to hire me to be The Champ's lawyer…I don't deal with violent men, and I told Jimmy that and he didn't accept my rejection. He sent The Champ to me before, but he didn't do anything but try to scare me. Of course that didn't work and I thought Jimmy forgot about it. I didn't get any more threats and the like, so I kind of forgot about it, until last night, when The Champ held me down and…oh god, I can still smell his rancid breath on me…fuck…"

Carlos gently turned Brittany's face to him and he said, in a soft voice, "Look at me, Brittany, it's going to be alright, I'm going to keep men at your hospital room, and once you get better, you're going to go to Rangeman and live in an empty apartment, no buts, you're not leaving my sight, you got it?"

"Okay, Carlos, I'll give my cases to a friend, he's good and he'll have my notes, if he goes off on my notes, you kick him to the curb and find me, got it?" Brittany asked, as she pressed her morphine button.

"Got it…" Carlos chuckled as Brittany's eyes began to close, "I need you soon, I need to look for a nanny…"

"Oh do you now?" Brittany asked, her voice heavy with sleep, "You know…one of my friends out there…Stephanie Plum, she's good with babies…"

"Does she have curly brown hair and blue eyes?" Carlos asked, earning a nod from Brittany, "I gave Heidi to her, she seems to be good with babies…"

Brittany let out a sleepy giggle and said, as she pressed for more morphine "She sure is, in fact, she was talking to me the other day about looking for a job, I think she'll be a good nanny to my godchild. I even recommend her to you, she's perfect…"

"Thanks for the tip, Bella," Carlos whispered leaning down and kissing Brittany's brow, "Get better soon, Lester's climbing up the walls about you…"

"Love me some Lester," Brittany said, with a chuckle, as Carlos left her, when the man closed the door, Brittany chuckled and said, "I gotta get my kicks somehow, Stephanie."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"You are a good baby," Stephanie said softly to the baby in her arms, as she fed her, "You don't cry much and you have such a big smile…yeah, I know!"

Stephanie smiled as the baby gave her a grin around the nipple in her mouth. Stephanie may have a small allergy around babies, but this baby was different. Both her and her father were different, and maybe she'll see them again, once in a while, since Brittany knew them both.

Stephanie sighed and thought about Brittany and how she was doing. She would give Brittany all her support and then some, she'll put her business plans on the back burner, until Brittany was well enough to help her out. Brittany did the same for her, when she was going through a messy divorce and Stephanie would return the favor.

"Babe…" Stephanie looked up and saw Carlos walking over to her, his face blank, "Brittany's alright, she's heavily drugged and won't be in any shape for talking to anyone, she'll need our support after she gets released from the hospital."

"I know, oh goodness, to go through what she went through," Stephanie said softly, looking over to Carlo, "Horrible..I'll be with her, it's the least I can do for her."

Carlos nodded his head and then said, "You're a good friend, Stephanie, I spoke to Brittany and she told me about you needing a job."

"What?!"

"You're very good with my child, she hasn't cried and she's smiling at you, I need to find a nanny for her, and I think you would be the perfect person to be her nanny to," Carlos said, making Stephanie's eyes get big.

"Me?!" Stephanie said, pointing to herself…"What?!"

"What do you say, Miss. Stephanie?" Carlos asked, earning a yelp from Stephanie.

"Okay," Stephanie said, making her slap her hand to her face in shock, what in the hell made her say that?!

With the bottle out of her mouth, the baby in Stephanie's arms let out a laugh, smiling and looking up at Stephanie. Carlos smiled and said, "She's laughing at you, that means she likes you….that's a good thing…"

Stephanie felt her resolve crumble and then she said, looking over to Carlos, "Okay…I'll be her nanny, you must be hopeless if you're looking this hard."

"Babe, I'm as hopeless as can be," Carlos winked at Stephanie, making her blush.

"Hey! My name is Stephanie, not Babe!" Stephanie said, puffing up and then saying, "Well, it's better than cupcake…."

"We'll go to my office later on today, and we'll work out a contract…thank you, Stephanie for taking this job," Carlos said, before he took Heidi from Stephanie and said, "Let's go get some breakfast and then we'll go to my office, Santos will stay here and Tank is watching over your little friend, I'm sure you're very hungry now."

Breakfast with the daddy/daughter duo sounded like a wonderful idea right now, "Lead the way, Daddy!"

TBC…

* * *

Stephanie wasn't expecting that, Brittany you evil genius you! ;]


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6!

Warnings: Mentions of violence

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Have Fun!

* * *

_The Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 6_

_Roxanna_

* * *

Carlos didn't like women in his life, it wasn't because he hated women, it was just, things can happen and when those things happen, shit hits the fan. The only reason why he let Brittany into his life was because she wormed her way into his heart and dug her heels into it.

He had sex with women, of course, but they were one night stands and the like, no emotions just a quick tap and run, Carlos wasn't a man to be in a relationship. His life, up until recently, didn't have room to have a relationship.

He married at a young age and divorced as soon as he got married to the woman. He sent money to her to take care of his oldest child and that was the only link he had with her. Carlos didn't want his child to be in any danger and so he gave up all rights to her. He didn't even blink an eye when he did it, it was for her safety…that's what Carlos told himself

Carlos looked over to Heidi, who lay in a bassinet, fast asleep. He got up from the bed and made his way over to the baby and placed a hand on her bare back. She moved slightly but remained fast asleep. Heidi's mother was a special case, a very special case, things had happened that were out of his control. He could still remember, even after two years how he met her.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Yo, Lopez, you gotta come see this shipment!" A man said, entering an office, "There are some fine products this time, we even have a real spitfire, you know, one of those freaks."

Roberto Lopez gave the man in front of him a smirk and said, "I'll be there soon to check out the goods, do not harm them or touch them, they're worth good money and the boss will not be happy if they're damaged…."

The man nodded his head and said, "Gotcha," before leaving the office.

Roberto's smirk dropped and he let out a sound before getting up and heading out the office. Roberto Lopez didn't exist, he was an alias used by Carlos Manoso, an ex-Ranger who was now contracted by the US government to go underground and stop a major international human trafficking ring. He had spent a good year underground, making his way up to the top and then getting into a position that was just below that of the leader of the ring himself. He kept his disgust to himself and never participated in any of the brutal rapes or murders. Any girl he sold was sold to undercover Intel hired by the US government and sent back to her family. Hopefully, Carlos would be done with this mission soon, because he was getting sick and tired of dealing with these animals and with what they did.

Carlos threw his suit jacket on and made his way down the opulent hallway of the Mansion he lived and worked in, all built by illegal slaves. His boss was a show off and made a show of his wealth and how he had the local politicians in the back of his pocket. Carlos kept to himself and made sure not to bring attention to himself, or else his cover would be blown.

Carlos made his way down the stairs and over to a flight of stairs that led down to a basement. He made his way down and over to a large are where a group of women sat huddled in a corner, chained to one another, sobbing and whimpering. He would make sure that these women got back to their families, he would slip his boss a list of potential buyers and knowing his boss, he would sell these women to them.

"Fuck!" A man exclaimed as he was tossed across the room, "A real fucking spitfire this one, I doubt she's sellable, what should we do, Roberto?"

Carlos walked over to where the man was pointing to and paused, seeing a woman standing in the middle of a crowd, her wrists were chained and her ankles were as well. Unlike the other women who were scared and terrified, this woman stood with her shoulders straight and a fire in her eyes. She snarled at the men surrounding her and moved out the way as one man charged at her with a metal pipe. The woman raised both fists and brought them down on the man's head with all her might. There was a loud crack and the man fell to the ground, dead. Another man took out a knife and tossed it at the woman, who ducked and let the knife hit another man, right in the chest.

Carlos could see the men around the woman get riled up and they would over power her and kill her if he didn't do something about it. Carlos walked into the middle of the crowd and stood before the woman and gave her a look. The woman made a move to charge at him, but paused, her amber eyes opening for a fraction of a second and then she stopped and then slowly sunk to the ground, her eyes never leaving Carlos's face.

"Well, Roberto, now that was an interesting thing to see," A voice said, making Roberto smirk causally.

"Xavier, sir, you know how I am with the women," Roberto said as he felt a hand on his shoulder and an older man appeared beside Carlos, "They can't resist my charms."

Xavier was Carlos's target, an older man who ran the biggest human trafficking ring in the world. He was slippery as a snake and the government had been trying to get to him for years. The man was based in Cambodia and had several compounds around the world. He was worth several billion dollars and seemed to be on his way to long life, which puzzled Carlos, since the man was well past 80, yet he looked to be only 40.

Xavier trained ice grey eyes on the woman in front of Carlos and said, "This is the true prize of tonight's shipment, my darling Roxanna…my sweet darling Roxanna, did you miss me?"

The woman said nothing but spat at Xavier's shoes, earning a hiss from the men around her. Xavier just chuckled and said, "No need to be hostile, my dear, I could let the men have their way with you but I won't because you now belong to Roberto…"

Carlos turned his head to Xavier, who smiled and said, "Roberto, I've never given you a reward for your services, and now, I will, our darling Roxanna she's your new pet."

"It's an honor sir," Carlos said, turning to the woman who never took her eyes off of his face, "Thank you for giving me such a rare gift…."

"Yes, beautiful creatures like Roxanna here, are rare and protected from the outside world by the government," Xavier said, walking over to Roxanna, who snapped her teeth at him, snarling loudly, "Roxanna, don't make me hurt you, I don't want to see that beautiful face etched with pain, but I'll do it, if I have to."

The woman named Roxanna turned her head to Carlos and ignored Xavier. Xavier smirked and said, "Roberto, have your way with your lovely pet, show her who owns her, make sure you give us a show, I know you can handle her…."

Carlos nodded his head and walked over to Roxanna, who didn't flinch as Carlos laid her on the cold stone floor. She looked him right in the eye, and stood still as he tore off the tattered remains of her clothes and spread her thighs.

'Carlos Manoso,' A woman's voice whispered inside of Carlos's mind, 'Make sure you put on a show, or else your cover will be blown, do not worry about me…I've handled much worse, I'll scream and fight to make it look real too.'

Carlos gave Roxanna a look, received a knowing look from the woman and then slapped her across the face snarling, " YOu killed two of our good men! You will pay for what you did! I want to hear you scream, bitch, I want to hear you wail as I take you!"

"Fuck you!" The woman said, in the same voice that drifted through Carlos's head, "Go to hell you worthless excuse for a man!"

Roberto could see Xavier smile darkly as he 'raped' Roxanna and after it was over, Xavier gave him a metal collar for his new pet and told Carlos to enjoy her. Once they were far away from Xavier and his men, in the safety of Carlos's chambers, Roxanna turned to Carlos and said, "You are a good actor, Carlos, but we'll have to work on it over time…."

"You've a lot to explain to me, Roxanna, the first things I want to know are how you know my name and how you spoke to me in my mind?" Carlos asked the woman, who smiled and leaned back on the bed.

"I'll explain in due time, for now, we must play this part, it's our greatest role, is it not?"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Roxanna's and Carlos's relationship was one that had been built upon survival and trust. It had shocked him greatly when the sex they had morphed into something more intimate, something more romantic. They spent nearly a year together before Roxanna made her escape and Carlos's mission was FUBAR. Xavier escaped, but the trafficking ring was dismantled.

Carlos picked Heidi up from her bassinet and whispered, "I promised you, Heidi, I'll be the best Papi I can be, if only for Roxanna, the only woman who ever loved me."

Heidi stirred in her sleep, and opened one of her eyes, and turned her head to look up at Carlos. She gave him a smile let out a sound, her little fists pumping in the air. She opened her other eye and began to move her body. Bobby told him that Heidi should be on her tummy from time to time, so she can work on lifting herself up and get to work on rolling.

Carlos placed Heidi on the bed, on her tummy and then settled on the bed himself, watching his daughter lift her head up and look at him. He gave her a smile and said, "Your focus is getting better, Quedria, you'll be working on becoming a sharp shooter soon."

Heidi gave him another smile and a laugh, kicking her feet in the air and grabbing at air. Carlos laid back on the bed and tucked his arms under his head. He thought about the other woman that showed up in his life recently. Stephanie Plum, Heidi's soon to be new nanny. She was as unique as the other women who showed up in his life. While Roxanna was sophisticated and Brittany was…well Brittany, Stephanie was her own thing. She was sweet to his child, she had spunk and wasn't afraid to challenge anyone and she like a bird, ready to take flight. She was fiercely loyal to her friends, the day after Brittany was admitted into the hospital, Trenton PD came to get Brittany's statement and Stephanie stayed with her and yelled at the police for the way they treated Brittany. It had been as though the poor woman hadn't just been severely beaten and raped and she was a suspect in her own crime. They had accused of her leading The Champ on and how maybe she shouldn't have turned down Jimmy Alpha. Carlos had a feeling that the cops who came to get Brittany's statement weren't the straightest of cops. He made sure that Brittany had top notched security and wasn't alone for a moment.

Stephanie never left Brittany's side and made sure she was well fed and amused. When the doctors told the injured woman that she would be bed ridden for almost half a year, Stephanie offered to take her in and look over her. Of course Carlos already had that covered but it was sweet to hear Stephanie say it.

When Carlos gave Stephanie her work contract, she had been shocked by the salary and by the stipulations. She argued that she couldn't live with him and that she couldn't take a room and board allowance from him either. Carlos had waved her off saying that she was watching over his most precious thing, she would accept it and like it. Stephanie had signed the contract, but not before letting Brittany look over it.

Smart girl, someone's been training her right.

Carlos used Rangeman's search engine and found out a lot about Stephanie. Graduated in the top 98 percent of her class at Rutgers, with a business degree. Worked at a lingerie company but got fired, had a lawsuit pending. Married a lawyer named Dickie Orr, divorced two months later, with Stephanie taking 95 percent of everything. She was single now, her credit card bills were normal, no real spending and a few investments. She was clean, but she had no work experience with babies. Though she had no experience with children, Carlos trusted Brittany and her advice and he hoped that Brittany wasn't in one of her crazy modes and playing with Carlos. He had seen her do that to Tank, and though it was hilarious for him to see it, he didn't want to be on the end of her craziness.

"Are you excited about your new nanny, Heidi," Carlos asked, watching Heidi lay down on the bed, chewing on her fist, "I am, I know she's going to be great with you, I have a good gut feeling about her."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"What does a nanny do, besides look after a baby?" Stephanie asked Brittany, as she looked through the nanny books she bought.

"You're like a maid, nurse, cook and babysitter in one," Brittany said, opening her eyes and looking at Stephanie, "But, Heidi's just an infant now, she doesn't need much and plus, Carlos will see to it that both of you are comfortable. It's like an easy job! Don't sweat it."

"Why did I say yes to this job?" Stephanie whined, looking over to Brittany, who smiled and shrugged her shoulders, "And second off, why did you point to me? I don't know much about babies!"

"I was in a drug haze, and you were in the front of my brain," Brittany said, with a causal shrug, "Hey, he's paying you well and you'll have enough to get started on that business of yours, right?"

"Well, you do have a point," Stephanie said, but she frowned and said, "Carlos wants me to move in with him and Heidi! What about my condo? The lease isn't up until 6 more months!"

"Grandma Mazur can live there, she's always complaining about not being able to bring men home, she can live there and have all the geriatric parties she wants," Brittany suggest, earning a shudder from Stephanie.

"Okay, she can live there, but I don't want to know about her parties," Stephanie said, earning a giggle from Brittany, "You seem much better these days, Brittany, though, you still have a lot of broken bones…"

"Yeah, and I had complications from my partial hysterectomy," Brittany sighed, laying back in her hospital bed, "Carlos is looking for The Champ now, but we all know that freak is staying low, until the heat is off and the scary part is, he'll be back, I know it…"

"He won't be back, not with Carlos and his men after him," Stephanie said, tucking a lock of black hair from Brittany's forehead, "You're safe."

"Sometimes, I'm too afraid to go to sleep, because I can see his face and the face of his friends," Brittany said softly, looking out the window, "He told me, before Lester came in, that he would find me, no matter where I ran, Jimmy gave me to him, can you believe that, and he intended on playing with me until I was broken beyond repair….I wonder how she handled situations like this?"

"Who?" Stephanie asked Brittany, earning a frown and then a grunt.

"Oh…just someone I knew," Brittany said, looking over to Stephanie, "I hope Carlos finds him and breaks him in two…where's Lula?"

"She moved back into her house, now that she has a big bodyguard watching out for her," Stephanie said, trying to hold back her giggles, "Tank is looking after her now."

"How romantic," Brittany said, with an eye roll, "Love is for the birds, I ain't no bird, let's stop with all this mushy stuff…"

"Brittany, I brought your favorite soup from Panera Bread," Lester said, sticking his head in Brittany's hospital door, "Cheddar Broccoli and French bread, don't worry about her lunch, Steph, I got it."

Stephanie gave Brittany and smirk and asked, "What about love being for birds now?"

"Shut up, sometimes, us non birds can get it too," Brittany said, as Lester came in with her lunch, "How am I supposed to eat this, Lester, my hands are broken!"

"I'll spoon feed you," Lester said, as Stephanie got out of the way, "And before you ask, yes, I did all my work, went in early to get it done, so I can see you."

"My hero," Brittany giggled softly, as Lester sat down beside her, "Well, hurry up and feed me, I'm starving!"

Stephanie smiled at the sight the two made and then shuffled out of the hospital room. She liked Lester, he was handsome, smart, goofy and utterly devoted to Brittany. Brittany didn't know it, but if she told that man to kill someone, he might do it. Or she did know and she was saving that free kill for someone. Stephanie was wistful that she didn't know, but Brittany was smart. Stephanie got to know most of the men watching Brittany well. She was surprised to know that the majority of them were watching the woman on their own time. One man, Cal, a man with a flaming tattoo on his head, told Stephanie that Brittany encouraged him to go back to his passion, which was playing the violin. Sometimes, he came into the hospital room and played for her. Another man, Woody told Stephanie that he and Brittany were both southern and that that common trait brought them together. They went out to get Barbeque and sweet tea on the weekend. Bobby respected her because whenever a Rangeman got in trouble, she made sure, before any interview by the police, they were given medical treatment and comfort food.

Stephanie's new boss, Carlos loved the woman like a sibling. Brittany was an attractive woman, she had Lester eating out of the palm of her hand, but Carlos told Stephanie, once, that Brittany was like his sister and he only wanted to protect her from all the bad things in the world. Stephanie loved the relationship her friend had with these misunderstood men. Hell, she was forming a bond with them too, since she was spending time with them as well. She'll be spending more time with them, once Brittany was moved into Rangeman. Stephanie wasn't leaving her friend alone with a bunch of handsome men, she would live in the apartment with Brittany, because the penthouse only had one bed and she wasn't going to sleep on the couch, that's for sure. She would get on Carlos's case to find a home for Heidi, since a Penthouse was not the best place to raise a child. Heidi needed her own space, and space to grow and a place to play outside.

Stephanie made a call to her grandma about her living in the condo, but wasn't able to finish the conversation as her mother took the phone from Grandma Mazur and demanded that Stephanie come over tonight to have dinner with them. Stephanie accepted the invitation, to get her mother off her back and then sighed, leaning against the hospital wall. Great…dinner with the 'Burg mom, isn't that going to be swell!

TBC...

* * *

So some of Carlos's past has been revealed...oh! Next chapter is coming soon, please leave a review and tell me what you think about this story!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7, enjoy! Sorry about the delay, I got a new laptop and I'm fiddling around with it now, so bare with me!

Warnings: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Enjoy!

* * *

_The Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 7_

_Homes_

* * *

"You don't have to go with me," Stephanie said, turning to the man driving her car down the road, "It's just my parent's house."

"Don't sweat it," Lester said with a smile, his green eyes bright, "Besides, Brittany told me to go with you, and I can't say no to a pretty injured southern flower."

Stephanie smiled at Lester and said, "Oh, we can't can we?"

Lester got this dreamy look on his face and then said, "So, you're Heidi's new Nanny, when do you start?"

"On Monday, which is two days away, I'm so nervous, I've babysat for some friends, but…I'll be watching this child 24/7, Oh, I'm going to be sick," Stephanie groaned, placing her head between her knees and moaning.

Lester shook his head and said, "Don't worry, you'll be good, I have faith in you," pulling up into Stephanie's parents' home, "We're here!"

Stephanie could see her mother and Grandma Mazur standing out on the porch, waiting for her. How in the hell they did that? It wasn't like she wanted to acquire that skill, but it was freaky!

"Stephanie, you bought eye candy!" Grandma Mazur exclaimed, looking over at Lester, "Hello, big boy, the names, Edna, and yes I am single…."

Lester laughed out loud and said, with a wink, "I know a couple of guys who could use a sweet gal like you…"

Stephanie and Helen rolled their eyes at Grandma Mazur's statement and then Helen ushered Lester and Stephanie into the house for dinner. Stephanie kissed her father's head and said, "Hey Daddy, how are you?"

Frank grunted and said, "Good, where's your shadow, you two are usually attached to the hip."

Stephanie nodded her head and said, "I forgot to tell you, Brittany was attacked, almost a week ago and she's in the hospital recovering."

"The poor dear," Edna said, as they settled around the table, "I hope the bastards been caught!"

"Not yet, but we're going to get him," Lester assured Edna, his face serious, "No one hurts Brittany and gets away with it."

Helen crossed herself and said, "I invited Joe over, he's been talking about you, Stephanie and wanted to see you."

"Yeah, well, I don't want to see him," Stephanie said, as she grabbed the bowl of pasta, "Mom, whatever happened to you warning me away from those awful Morelli men? When did Joe become so perfect in your eyes?"

"Stephanie, I'm worried about you, you're a divorcee, and not too many men like that on a woman's resume," Helen said, making Stephanie sputter around noodles, "Joe isn't like those other Morelli men, he wants you, you should accept a date from him."

"I don't think so," Stephanie said, just as the doorbell rang, "Speak and they will come…won't they?"

"They sure will," Lester chuckled as Helen got up and flew to the door, "I heard a lot about your mother from Brittany, is it true that she has enough liquor hidden around to have her own distillery?"

"She does," Stephanie whispered to Lester, earning another snort from the man, "Oh boy, here he comes."

"Cupcake, how are you tonight, I bought you some flowers," Joe said, holding up a bouquet of daisies, "You're looking as pretty as ever."

Stephanie took the flowers and said, "Thanks," giving Joe a weak smile, "They're lovely…."

Helen set a place for Joe to sit at and then Joe began to help himself to dinner. Lester chuckled softly, earning an elbow jab from Stephanie. Joe looked up from his pasta and said, "I heard about your lawyer, Stephanie, it's a fucking shame she got caught up with The Champ, beat her black and blue from what I heard."

"You could be a little more compassionate to my friend," Stephanie said, feeling Lester's shackle raise, "And she didn't get caught up with The Champ, he came after her, for reasons unknown."

"Well the cops down at the station told the majority of us that she was asking for it," Joe said, with a shrug, "I've seen her down there, bailing out some of those thugs that work at Rangeman, I think she did ask for it, even if she didn't say it out loud."

Stephanie had to put a hand on Lester's shoulder to keep him still. She gave Joe her best 'Burg glare and said, "For your information, I am one of those thugs, I work at Rangeman now, and what I'm doing Is none of your business, but I'm on Rangeman's payroll now!"

"Thugs?! You're working with thugs now?!" Helen shouted, looking at her daughter, making the cross, "Why me?! Sally's daughter doesn't work with thugs!"

"You better stay clear of Rangeman," Joe said, looking over to Stephanie, "That's asking for nothing but trouble."

"I've been sitting here with someone from Rangeman and nothing's happened to me yet," Stephanie said, looking at Lester, "Nothing's going to happen to me, they're not thugs, they're nice men, but you've already put a label on them, before you even got to know them, and you put a label on Brittany too, I wouldn't even go out with you to McDonalds! I'm out of here, Grandma Mazur, you can move into the condo on Monday, I'm moving out on Sunday night, I'll leave the furniture for you."

"You're moving out your house to live with thugs?" Helen exclaimed, reaching for her wine glass.

"Why yes, mother, because you know, us thugs need to stick together," Stephanie said, with a smile, "I'll see you later, bye Daddy, bye Grandma Mazur! Come on Lester, let's get back to Brittany and the other thugs."

"Ma'am yes ma'am," Lester said, getting up from his seat, "See ya later, Grandma Mazur, I'll find a stud for you…"

Edna gave Lester a wink and blew him a kiss, as he left the house. Stephanie sank into the passenger seat of the car and said, "I can't believe you kept it together in the house, when Joe said those things about Brittany…."

"I would have but, you stopped me and Brittany's in a hospital bed and she come and get me out of jail," Lester chuckled, before staring Stephanie's car, "Okay, the next time I go out with you, we're taking my car, I'm sick of being squished up in this tiny matchbox car! I'm a man, I have long legs!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Now, protégé, you need to file this motion in the Florida Family courts tomorrow," Brittany said to the man beside her bed, "It's for one of my big clients, about child support, now, if his ex's lawyer kicks up a fuss, throw it in their face that Mr. Manoso is not legally obligated to pay any money to, since she married a man and he adopted his child."

"Yes ma'am," The man said, looking through Brittany's papers, "Anything I should worry about, you seemed to have this all in order."

"I know!" Brittany said as the door to her hospital opened and Carlos came in with Heidi and a bag of food, "Carlos, just in time to meet your new lawyer, this is Ben, he'll take over my cases, while I'm tucked away and being waited on by sexy men…."

"Mr. Manoso," Ben said, shaking Carlos's free hand, once Carlos tucked Heidi on Brittany's side, "I hope I'm as good as Brittany, but that woman's a shark, when she smells blood."

"I think you'll do fine," Carlos said, as Brittany instructed Ben to go kick butt for her, "Hopefully our lawyer here will be up and ready to go in a few months."

"I know she will, okay, I'll get this faxed over to the courts tonight, I'll make rounds with your other clients too, I'll come back and talk to you in a few days," Ben said, waving to Carlos and Brittany and leaving the room."

"Oh, are those waffles? Please, say yes, I'm so hungry and the only thing these snakes feed me are shakes," Brittany said sitting up in her hospital bed, minding Heidi's tiny form.

"Ella made them just for you," Carlos said, taking out a container of Belgian waffles, "I'll feed you them, don't worry about your broken hands."

"I love it when sexy men feed me," Brittany joked as Carlos cut her waffles up and fed them to her, "Mmm, are you ready for Stephanie to move in tomorrow?"

"I am," Carlos said, looking down at his baby, who was wide awake and looking up at Brittany, "I do hope you didn't trick me, when you told me to hire her as a nanny."

"Carlos, would I ever be that mean to you?" Brittany asked, batting her eyelashes, "Don't answer that question…."

Carlos gave Brittany one of his half smiles and then said, "I've thought about what you said, about me being in my other child's life…I want to see Julie, can you make it happen?"

"Baby, I can make anything happen," Brittany purred, smiling broadly, "And it's about damn time too, how many times have you seen your daughter?"

"Twice, during her birth and her 5th birthday," Carlos said, with a shrug, "See knows I care for her, I send her money, but-"

"No buts, Carlos, you'll go down to Florida and see her, and you'll be a good father, don't worry, and if Rachel gives you shit, tell her to go kick rocks…cause your lawyer will raise hell."

"I know she will," Carlos sighed, dramatically, before he picked up Heidi and lifted her up in the air, "Quedria, you're getting bigger every day."

"And she's getting to be more interactive too," Brittany said, as Heidi let out a laugh and reached up to grab at Carlos's hair, "I feel sorry for her mother, I can't believe she's dead, she would have been a good mother."

"How would you know that?" Carlos asked Brittany, laying Heidi down on the couch that was in Brittany's room, "You've never met her mother, before she died."

"I just have this little gut feeling about Heidi's deceased mother," Brittany said, with a shrug and a small smile, "Call it intuition."

"Mr. Manoso!" Carlos turned his head to the hospital room door, and watched as Stephanie stomped into the room, her hands on her hips and a cute glare on her face, "Mr. Manoso, you cannot expect me to sleep on the couch in your penthouse, where is Heidi sleeping? Where are you keeping her things? A bachelor's penthouse is not the best place to raise a child, you need to find a home to raise her in. Look, I was talking to Tank and Ella, and they've compiled a list of homes for you to look at, since they all fit your category, please, take a look at them and maybe pick one, because raising a baby in a penthouse isn't good for her."

Carlos looked down at the housing listings in Stephanie's hand and said, pointing to a large brick colonial style home, "That one, I'll buy it tonight and we can move in tomorrow."

"What?!" Stephanie said, her mouth hanging down, "You can't just buy a house and move into it in just 24 hours, you have to buy furniture and get it inspected and the closing process!"

"Babe, anything for my nanny and baby, I'll do it, besides, you're right, living in a penthouse isn't good for the baby," Carlos said, looking at Stephanie, "So, I'll pick this house, have my men look around, add some security and call it a day, now, I have to go, Heidi has a checkup. I'll see you in the morning, bright and early, come to the new house, it'll be ready for you."

Stephanie watched as Carlos picked up Heidi and her pink baby bag and then left as quickly as he came. Stephanie huffed and sat down in the chair beside Brittany's bed and said, "Can you believe that man?! is he being for real?"

"As real as he can ever be," Brittany said, with a shrug, watching Stephanie pout, "Carlos is a man who gets things done his way and his way only, if he wants a house by tomorrow, oh, he's getting that house tomorrow, I'm just glad he likes you, he calls you Babe, he never calls any woman by a pet name."

"Does he have one for you?" Stephanie asked Brittany, earning a head nod, "Oh, what is it?"

"Bella, because I'm all cute and adorable!" Brittany pouted, turning her head, "Am not! I'm not cute and adorable, am I?!"

Stephanie gave Brittany a smile and shrugged her shoulders. Brittany was a free spirit, standing at 5'1 with wild black hair, bright eyes the color of dark honey and had a petite frame with a few curves. She was milk chocolate toned and had an unpredictable personality. Yes, Stephanie could see why Carlos called Brittany cute.

"You are something else," Stephanie offered, earning a groan from the woman, "Well it's true!"

"Stephanie, you're not helping me!" Brittany wailed, closing her eyes, "I'm not cute, I'm sexy!"

"No you're not, sorry to burs your bubble," Stephanie said, looking down at the house Carlos said he was going to purchase, "He chose the best house, it's in a gated community, and the next door neighbors are far away yet close enough to us, it's fully upgraded and stuff, does that mean I should learn how to cook?"

"Maybe, but Ella can teach you," Brittany said with a smile, "She's a good teacher too, so don't sweat it."

"I can't believe it, tomorrow I move in with a man and a baby, and I'm not even married!" Stephanie joked, earning a round of laughter from Brittany, "We aren't even dating, though that Papi doesn't look as though he won't have problems finding a woman…"

Brittany gave Stephanie a wink and said, "He sure doesn't…."

TBC…

* * *

Carlos doesn't play around, Stephanie should know that! Please leave a review!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 9, enjoy! I think this is chapter nine, or 8, who knows, just enjoy! ;D

Warning: none

Disclaimer in chapter 1!

ENJOY!

* * *

_The Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 8 or 9_

_Adventurer_

* * *

"This is the car you drive?" Carlos asked Stephanie, as she got out a red Miata, "This is a sports car."

"Yeah, but she's my baby," Stephanie said, walking over to Carlos and taking Heidi from him, "Hello, Heidi, we are all smiles today, you're so adorable!"

Carlos pulled his phone out and made a quick call to Tank. He turned to Stephanie and said, "You're getting a new car, a Miata isn't a car for a nanny and her charge, I have one on the way for you."

"You don't have to get me a car," Stephanie said, bouncing Heidi in her arms, "I mean…my car isn't that bad?"

"No, but you'll be carrying a baby around with her things and you'll be carrying a lot of things," Carlos said turning to look at the house he bought yesterday, "It's a company car, it's not yours so don't feel guilty about driving it around."

"Okay," Stephanie said, looking up at the house, "I can't believe you bought a house, yesterday, furnished it and did it all before 9 in the morning…what are you, a wizard?"

"I could be," Carlos said, leading Stephanie to the front porch of the house, "Here we are, home sweet home."

Carlos gave Stephanie a key saying, "Here's your key, you're free to come and go as you please," opening the door to the house, "Welcome to Casa De Manoso."

Stephanie let out a sound as they entered the house. It was a beautiful home, the foyer was massive, and two stories tall, with a low hanging chandelier and a flight of stairs that led up to the second floor. Dark wood ran through the house and the walls were a soft cream color with white molding. The foyer led into a long hallway which went off into a large private office, a dining room, a family room, a kitchen and a sitting area. There was a doorway that led down into a basement, large areas of storage space, a mud room and custom built play area, beside the kitchen. The kitchen had dark cabinets and silver appliances and white quartz counters. It looked modern and spacious and it made Stephanie want to go in there and learn how to cook a meal. The best part about this nice new house was that it was fully furnished with new things that Ella picked out, there were even pictures hanging on the wall. It was as though a team came in a decorated the home over night.

Stephanie turned to Carlos and she said, with a smile, "It's beautiful, Carlos, it's such a nice home to raise Heidi."

"You haven't seen your room yet," Carlos said, leading Stephanie upstairs, "I think you'll love it."

There were five bedrooms upstairs, two of them master suites. Carlos led Stephanie past a pink and white door that had Heidi's name written on it and over to the door next to it. Carlos opened the door and revealed a large room, with a sitting area,. There was a large four poster canopy bed with cream colored sheets on them along with a fluffy feather down comforter. The furniture contrasted the cream colored walls by being a dark wood and the carpet in the room was the same creamy color. A door led into a huge walk in closet that would easily fit Stephanie's clothes. Another door led into aensuite bathroom that had a walk in shower and a whirlpool tub and a nice size toilet room. Stephanie smiled and said, "This is too much, Carlos, this is my room? Nannies don't have such nice rooms!"

"This one does," Carlos said, watching Stephanie bounce Heidi in her arms, "I'm glad you like it, Babe, Ella knew what to pick out for you, and if you want to change it, come find me and we'll get people in here to fix it up for you."

"Thank you, Carlos," Stephanie said, as Heidi began to fuss in her arms, "Oh, time to go be nanny, it looks like she's hungry…."

"Speaking of hungry, did you have breakfast?" Carlos asked Stephanie, watching her carry Heidi out the room, "I can make us some breakfast, I can make a mean Spanish omelet."

"That sounds like a delicious breakfast, let's go feed Heidi and then you can make me a mean omelet," Stephanie said, carrying Heidi down the stairs.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Look at this, while you were shacking up with the sexy single father, I was making your panties!" Lula said, holding up a pink bag, "I got some spandex and some fake fabric, so let's take a look at what I made you."

Stephanie let out a grunt and adjusted Heidi in her little chair and said, "I'm not shacking up with Mr. Manoso, I'm his child's nanny!"

"Mr. Manoso," Lula echoed, pulling out some of the panties she created, "I feel like I'm watching an episode of The Nanny but you don't have big hair and an annoying New York accent…"

"It's New Jersey and it's more tolerable," Brittany said, as Stephanie combed her hair, "Ouch! Be gentle, Stephanie, my scalp is tender."

"Sorry," Stephanie said, brushing out soft curly locks, and looking over to Heidi, who let out a squeal and pumped her fists in the air, "I know, Heidi, Lula and Brittany are hilarious!"

"I am not," Lula said, holding her finished product, "See, how do they look, I spent most of the week doing this!"

"Wow, these are good," Stephanie said, as Lula held up a pair of black silky panties with mesh siding, "These are sexy, wow!"

"I know," Lula said, with pride, watching Stephanie braided Brittany's hair, "I think I'm going to make a lot more of them, different styles too, so you can look at them and see which ones you like."

"Yeah, this is so cool, your shop is going to be awesome, Stephanie!" Brittany said, as Stephanie finished her hair, "Thanks for doing my hair, Stephanie, I look wonderful!"

Stephanie smiled and walked over to Heidi and picked her up saying, "Brittany always looks wonderful, doesn't she Heidi!"

Heidi gurgled in Stephanie's arms and gave her a big smile. Lula put down the panties, sat down in the hospital bed and said, "So, first real day as a nanny, how do you find it?"

"It's good!" Stephanie said, taking out a bottle for Heidi, "Heidi rarely cries, and she's a nice baby, Plus, Mister Manoso made me breakfast…did I tell you about the kitchen he has, it's amazing, I saw it and I wanted to cook something!

"Well, at least you're happy," Lula said, as Stephanie fed Heidi, "And soon, you'll have enough money to open your shop up soon."

"Yeah, Mister Manoso pays wells, I think he's spoiling me," Stephanie said, as Heidi finished her bottle, "I have a nice room, he gave me a company car, a freaking Porsche Cayenne, and he's feeding me, plus his daughter is adorable….I sometimes think that this isn't real that I'm going to wake up soon and be in my condo…"

"Well, when you see him naked, tell us," Lula said, earning a squawk from Stephanie, "What, he's hot!"

"Bleh, whatever," Brittany said, with a shrug, giving Lula a look, "I've seen him naked, and it's not that good…I guess, he's like my brother, so, whatever…"

Stephanie blushed at Brittany and said, "Damn it, you two are the worse! Aren't they Heidi?"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Where's Heidi?" Tank asked, walking into Carlos's office, "She's usually here, in her bouncer."

"She's with her nanny," Carlos said, with a shrug, shifting through important papers from his accountant, "She's safe and sound too, so don't worry about her."

I'm not worried, but they do have trackers on, the Porsche has one, Stephanie has one in her purse and on her clothes, Heidi has one on her, her car seat has one, and the baby bag has one, so I'm not too worried," Carlos said, as he looked up from his paperwork, "Man, I can't believe this…Brittany was right, I do spend too much on child support…"

Tank let out a whistle and said, "It's about damn time you got your head out of your ass, It only took you a year of Brittany's harping to get you in gear! I've been telling you this for the past 8 years. I mean come on, why in the hell did a 2 year old need 10k a month?!"

Carlos ran a hand through his hair and said, "I know, Rachel's bleeding me dry, I've been calculating this all, Tank, 10k a month for one year is 120k, times that by 7 years…840k! And she demanded more money, twice the amount, for 3 years….I gave this woman over one million dollars, and I have no idea how she spends it…and Brittany's going to kill this woman in court over this."

Tank nodded his head and said, "She is, once she gets out the hospital, what spurred this revelation on?"

"I got a nasty call from Rachel, during lunch, her lawyer got the motion from Ben, the lawyer Brittany gave us," Carlos said, looking over to Tank, who hissed through his teeth, "I know, anyways, she pretty much threatened me about it, how her lawyer would make sure I'd pay double what I'm paying now, How I would pay for what I did to her all those years ago."

"If Brittany was mobile she'd have a fucking field day with this mess," Tank chuckled, watching Carlos nod his head, "What's going on now?"

"Ben moved fast, the courts got in contact with Ben, told him that I didn't have to pay anything else, since the amount already paid was more than enough to raise a child. The judge believed that Rachel was using the money on the other children when that money is solely for Julie's wellbeing. I won't have to pay for anything until after the court hearings."

Tank sat down across from Carlos and said, "You seem real serious about this, what bought this on?"

"Heidi, that's what," Carlos said, with a smile, "She's my child, she's going to need support, She…I did wrong with Julie, I'm not doing wrong with Heidi, she doesn't have anyone but me."

Tank nodded his head and said, "That's a good thing then, your baby girl is changing your life,"

Carlos smiled and looked down at the picture on his desk. He got photos of Heidi the other day, and she had been nothing but smiles. Carlos felt his heart tug at the picture and he said, "Yes, Heidi is changing my life, but not my image, let's go check out on some of our clients, Lester came to me a while back, one of our accounts almost got broken in, and we caught some culprits."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Okay, Heidi," Stephanie said, placing the infant in her highchair, "Let's get you a bottle and then I'll make us some lunch, I bet you're-"

Stephanie paused as she lifted Heidi up from her car seat. She sniffed at Heidi's bottom and said, "Eh….you stink, you smell like shit, let's go get a diaper change and then I'll feed you."

Heidi gave Stephanie a loud laugh and smiled up at her, as Stephanie carried her up to her nursery. Stephanie entered the soft pink and brown room, laid Heidi on the changing table and said, "Okay…Carlos did this early this morning, it shouldn't be too hard, right?"

Stephanie undid the one piece Heidi wore and then she pulled off the diaper Heidi wore, gagging at the smell.

"Gross, you just eat formula, what in the fuck do you eat!?" Stephanie gagged as she cleaned Heidi up with the wipes, "Gross, gross, you need ten wipes!"

Heidi let out another laugh, looking up at Stephanie, with a smile on her face. Stephanie put a new diaper on Heidi and then buttoned her one piece up. Stephanie tossed the diaper into the diaper genie and said, "All nice and sweet smelling now and now, let's go eat some food and have a nice long nap before-"

THUD! Stephanie jumped in shocked as she heard a loud thump downstairs. Stephanie lifted Heidi up in her arms and said, "What in the hell was that?!"

Stephanie made her way down the stairs, with Heidi in her arms. She made her way into the hallway and jumped again as she heard another loud thud that came from the kitchen. Stephanie opened the broom closet and took out a mop, shuffling into the kitchen, holding Heidi close to her. Carlos wasn't due home for an hour so that meant robbers.

"We've got this, Heidi," Stephanie said, looking through the kitchen, and gluping as she heard a loud thud again, this time coming from the sliding door that rested in the kitchen, "It's a robber, we've got this!"

Stephanie slid over to the side door of the kitchen and looked out at the and stopped short, looking at the sight before her, a look of pure confusion on her face.

A little boy, who looked to be no older than three was standing up on his feet, looking disoriented, wearing a helmet. He shook his head and then roared, "CHARGE!" before hitting the side door again with his helmet covered head, causing him to fall on the porch with a thunk, moaning softly. Stephanie wrenched the door open and said, "What in the world are you doing?!"

The little boy groaned and sat up saying, "I'm an adventurer and I gotta find the treasure!"

Stephanie tightened her arm around Heidi's small body and said, "So…kid, are you hungry or something, what's your name?"

"Diesel, and yes, I wanna eat some food," the boy said, taking off his helmet to reveal blond hair, "Food, food, food! Adventurer is hungry!"

Stephanie frowned and placed her free hand on her hips but said, "Alright, kid, I think we have some peanut butter and jelly, let's go eat."

"Yum!"

TBC…

* * *

Here comes Diesel! Please review! :D


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9! This is chapter 9! I know now!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Enjoy!

* * *

_The Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 9_

_Freaks_

* * *

"Organic peanut butter and locally farmed strawberry jam," Stephanie said, as she made the child in front of her a sandwich, "I hope it taste good, as organic as it sounds, Diesel."

Diesel looked over the kitchen bar counter at Stephanie, who took out some whole grain bread. Diesel let out a shout and said, "No crusties, bleh!"

Stephanie stuck her tongue out at Diesel and then grabbed the butter knife and cut the edges off the side of the bread she made the sandwich on. Stephanie looked over to the child and watched him kick him play with his helmet. The child was adorable, with blue eyes, blond hair and dimples on his cheek. He was dressed in a pair of scruffy jeans and a turtleneck with a jacket that had dinosaurs on them. The football helmet that Diesel had was scruffy and covered in dinosaur stickers. Diesel smiled and said, "Can you cut it in two big triangles, please?"

Stephanie made a face and said, "So demanding, geez, so, Diesel, is that your real name?"

"Nope, my name is Thaddeus," Diesel said, kicking his legs on the bar stool he sat on, "I'm 'tree years old! I'm going to school in two years!"

Stephanie nodded her head and cut the sandwich for Diesel, before giving it to him. Diesel dug in with gusto and Stephanie had to slow him down, because he was stuffing his mouth. Stephanie grabbed a small pink cup and poured milk into it saying, "Here, drink some milk, that peanut butter is sticky as hell."

Diesel drank half the milk that was given to him and said, "Thank you lady! What's your name, Ms. Lady?"

"My name is Stephanie, Diesel," Stephanie said, as she made a sandwich for herself, "Any more questions for me?"

"Mhmm," Diesel said, eating the last half of his sandwich, "Is she your baby?"

Stephanie blushed and said, "No, I'm her nanny, or her baby sitter, who lives with her and helps raise her alongside her father."

"Oh, cool! My Deda is like my Nanny, cuz he works at home and my Mommy goes to work all day long," Diesel said with a smile, putting his helmet back on, "That's why I go out on adventures, cause he's busy at work."

"Does your father know that you go on adventures?" Stephanie asked the boy in front of her, earning a head nod, "I bet he's worried that you're not home right now, you're out and about in this cold weather."

"Deda knows where am I," Diesel said as he finished his sandwich, "Don't worry, Ms. Stephanie."

"And how does he know?" Stephanie said, as she bit into her sandwich, "Does he have special powers?"

"Sort of, he just tells me he has his ways, and I'll get them too" Diesel said with a shrug, finishing his milk and turning to Heidi, "Baby! Hi Baby, I'm Diesel, how are you?"

Heidi let out a yawn, blinking owlishly and looking up at Diesel. Diesel leaned forward to look at Heidi's tiny face. He smiled and said, "I think she likes me, can I hold her?"

"Sure, after I finish my sandwich, and we get in contact with your father," Stephanie said, grabbing Diesel's cup and pouring milk into it, "So, adventurer do you like SpongeBob Squarepants?"

"Do I ever?!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Roxanna was like a ghost in the government's databases. Even with all the advanced search engines they had, and all the worms they had on their hands, Roxanna was nothing but a mere thought. It was fucking infuriating that there wasn't a speck of information for the dead bitch. How did she slip through the fucking cracks? Their boss wanted Roxanna's information and they wanted it now.

"Nothing in the FBI databases, the NSA banks, the CIA banks are cleaned and every military databank is empty," The person running the searches grunted and rubbed their tired eyes, "She's a fucking ghost, didn't he have her for a bit, how did he not get any information about her?"

"Because, she wasn't his bitch, she was Roberto's bitch, or whoever that bastard really was," Another person said, "I wish I had the chance to stick my knife in that bastard's gut, and gut him like a fucking fish, the fucking traitor."

"We'll find him, don't worry, the boss said that once we find whatever Roxanna has hidden, we'll get the bastard," The person running searches said, rubbing their chin, "The boss is pissed off, and he's going to have our heads if we don't find anything!"

"Maybe we ain't going to find information on electronics, maybe we need to find some kind of paper, maybe there's something we can find on old papers left to rot in vaults…."

"We could…." The other person said, getting up, "We'll find something, I know it, back then the government was keeping tabs on everything."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Brittany let out a grunt, waking up from her slumber by the sound of her phone. She lifted herself up from her hospital bed and grabbed her phone, answering it with a soft, "Yes?"

"Brittany, it's been a while," A voice said, making Brittany's eyes cut to Lester's sleeping form, "We've a problem, someone's dipping their noses in things that don't belong to them."

Brittany let out a hiss and looked out the window, "Fuck…fuck, I already have my plate full, dude, I'm in the hospital, recovering from some crazy man turning me into his punching bag! I can't handle noses in shit, can you handle it?!"

"You just keep your promise, princess and I'll get the noses out of private business," The person on the phone chuckled and said, "Be safe, remember, you're a part of the secrets too."

Brittany rolled her eyes and said, "Too late for that, I got my uterus ripped to shreds by a maniac."

The person hung up on Brittany and Brittany tossed her phone on the side table of her bed and looked over to Lester and said, "Lester…Lester! Wake up!"

The man on the pull out couch snorted and sat up quickly, looking around wildly. He looked over to Brittany, who smiled and said, "Come here, I wanna talk to you."

Lester gave Brittany a smile and made his way over to the woman and sat down, grabbing Brittany's hand, "So, darling, what are we going to talk about?"

"Do you love me?" Brittany asked softly, looking over to Lester, biting her lip with nervousness.

Lester sat back in his seat and then leaned forward and kissed Brittany on her lips, saying, "Yeah, of course I love you, Brittany, you're a breath of fresh air and the life of any party. Brittany, you're not like any other woman I've ever met…you're sweet, beautiful and loyal to a tee, you make me feel like a better man, when I'm with you. I love you so much, Brittany, I want to be with you, I want to marry you, Brittany…to answer your big question, yes, I love you, I love you so much that it hurts."

Brittany smiled softly at Lester and asked, "Even if I….if I was some sort of freak, right?"

Lester smiled and said, "Even if you were a freak, Brittany, I'm still going to love you….even though you're not a freak."

Brittany smiled and said, "Good, I love you too, Lester…even if I'm a coward, I'll be brave for you…."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Carlos let out a sound at the sound of heavy thuds coming from inside the house. He just got back home from Rangeman, holding the bag of dinner Ella made for both him and Stephanie. He placed the bag of food on the side table in the foyer and made his way into the living room, where the sounds were coming from. He walked into the living room and paused, looking at the sight before him.

Stephanie was sitting on a blanket, with Heidi in her lap. The large flat screen TV was on some crazy cartoon and there was a little boy, wearing a football helmet, yelling loudly, running forward and head butting the wall which was covered in padding and sheets. What in the hell was going on?

"Do I want to know what's going on?" Carlos asked Stephanie, who looked over to the man.

"Carlos, this is our neighbor's child, Diesel, he's an adventurer," Stephanie said, as Diesel let out a grunt, hitting the wall and falling to the ground with a groan, "I think this isn't going to scramble his brains."

The boy named Diesel sat up and took off his helmet saying, "Hey! Who are you? Are you Ms. Stephanie's wife?"

"Stephanie, is my nanny, not my wife," Carlos said, looking over to Stephanie and Heidi. Stephanie did look good with his child though.

"Oh, I thought she was your wife, cause she's so good with Heidi," Diesel said, standing up and going over to Carlos, "Who are you?"

"I'm Carlos," Carlos said, looking down at Diesel, "So, why does an adventurer need to head butt a wall?"

"Cause!" Diesel said, with a shrug, "I think…uh…I'm supposed to, it's fun, so who cares?"

"Go back to adventuring," Carlos said, ruffling Diesel's hair and looking over to Stephanie, "Babe, Ella packed us a dinner, come help me with it."

Stephanie placed Heidi on the blanket and said, "Diesel, watch Heidi, okay?"

"Kay!" Diesel shouted as Stephanie walked into the kitchen with Carlos.

"Where are his parents?" Carlos asked grabbing the bag and carrying it to the kitchen.

"His father is at home, and his mother is at work," Stephanie said, going over to the cabinet and pulling out plates, "His father came over a few hours back, and introduced himself, can you believe it, your next door neighbor is like a world famous doctor or something, comes from Russia, he wants to meet you."

"Oh, okay," Carlos said, taking out the glass containers full of food, "For a second there, I thought you had a child I didn't know of."

"No, me and the dick never had a child, he as too busy banging the town slut," Stephanie said, opening the container and looking in, "Oh…this looks delicious, I think Diesel's staying for dinner, his father had a client over and Diesel's a hell raiser."

"Am I'm going to lose my nanny, before I even had her for a month?" Carlos joked, earning a smile from Stephanie, "I should offer her more money to keep her."

"I'm not leaving you," Stephanie said, walking over and setting the kitchen table, "It's like you said, you'll be lost without me, so, Heidi had some tummy time and for a full 2 minutes raised herself on her arms, she's working on rolling soon, I wouldn't be surprised if she did, she's so advanced for a 3 month old."

Carlos smiled and said, "Glad to know that Heidi is in capable hands, Babe, come on, let's get our visitor and feed him, before he concusses himself."

Stephanie smiled at Carlos and then said, "I'll get the children, so how was work, Mr. CEO?"

"Busy and full of paperwork," Carlos said, as Stephanie left the kitchen and came back with Diesel and Heidi, "Quedria, I missed you today…."

Stephanie smiled as Carlos took Heidi and kissed her forehead and held her close to him. Stephanie sat Diesel down at the table and made a plate for him. Carlo buckled Heidi into her highchair and sat down at the table looking at Diesel, "So, Diesel what does an adventurer do?"

TBC…

* * *

Uh oh...things are going on soon...leave a review! ;D


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10, enjoy!

Warnings: none

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Have fun!

* * *

_The Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 10_

_Schedules_

* * *

Stephanie let out a sleepy moan, hearing her phone go off. Stephanie turned to the clock and mumbled, "4:00 Am…who is calling me now?"

Stephanie looked at the caller ID and saw that it was her Grandma Mazur. Stephanie answered the phone with a sleep muddled, "Hey, Grandma, are you dead?"

"Nope, but I called to tell you that your sister Valarie decided on a surprise visit with the girls," Grandma Mazur said, making Stephanie sit up in the bed in shock.

"What in the hell?" Stephanie asked, looking into her dark room, "It's 4 in the morning, where did she go?"

"Your parents house," Grandma Mazur said, making Stephanie roll her eyes, "Helen called me early this morning and told me that Valarie was standing on the front porch, with suitcases and the girl's things, took a bus across the country to get here."

"You know what that means?" Stephanie asked, laying back down in the bed and looking up at the ceiling, "Steve was doing something bad…."

"I think so too, but Valarie was tight lipped to your mother," Grandma Mazur said, "She's not cracking…yet."

"There's two extra bedrooms in my condo, they can move in with you, and away from the 'Burg," Stephanie said, turning her head to her closed door, "Look, let's hash this out in the morning, Heidi has a sleeping schedule and I don't want to deviate from it, four months old are finicky as hell! If she wakes up now, she's never going back to sleep, we just got her sleeping through the night."

"So is the baby's father hot, does he have a nice package?" Grandma Mazur asked, earning a groan from Stephanie.

"Goodnight, Grandma!" Stephanie said, hanging the phone up and laying back on the bed, her eyes closing for slumber, but Heidi's cried rang out through the baby monitor. Stephanie covered her eyes and sat up saying, "Shit…."

"Don't worry, Babe, Papi's got Heidi," Carlos said, making Stephanie sigh and lay back down on the bed, "You can sleep."

"Good," Stephanie sighed, turning the monitor down and turning to go back to sleep, "Wake me up at normal people time…"  
(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Carlos turned on the side lamp of beside his bed and fed Heidi the bottle she was demanding from him. She went silent as she ate her early morning meal, looking up at Carlos with sleepy eyes. Carlos smiled and said, "I think you're going to go right to sleep after this bottle, Quedria."

Heidi gave him a giggle and a smile around her bottle, her fist swinging up to grab at Carlos's hair. Carlos looked around the room, as if someone was spying on him and then began to make faces down at Heidi. Heidi let out a squeal and reached to grab at Carlos again, a smile on her face and her bottle forgotten. Carlos smiled and said, "You're not going to back to sleep anytime soon and your nanny is going to kill me, since you'll be sleeping all day long."

Heidi gurgled and gave her father a smile, before latching onto the nipple of her bottle again. Carlos poked her nose and then leaned back in his bed. He knew Stephanie was working hard to get Heidi on a sleeping schedule and the baby was just getting into it but sometimes little things set the baby off. At four months old, Heidi was becoming more aware of things and she could focus on Stephanie and himself, with her eyes. Every time she saw either adults, she would smile and kick her legs. Her motor skills were still developing but she would try to reach out for them. He could still recall the moments he caught Stephanie singing softly to his child, the sight of her, whispering sweet songs, made his heart stir and a smile form on his face.

Carlos smiled and pulled the empty bottle from Heidi's mouth and said, "Okay, Quedria time to do some work outs, I'll tell you a bit about your real mother."

Carlos placed Heidi on the bed and got up, slipping on a pair of sweats and nothing else. He tossed a blanket out on the floor and placed Heidi on it, on her back. He got down and began to do push ups above her talking softly to her.

"Your mother was a beautiful woman, you look just like her it hurts sometimes," Carlos said softly, as Heidi looked up at him, "She was strong and full of courage, even in the face of danger, she wasn't afraid, and I admired her for that. She used to tell me that cowards were lesser than scum and didn't have her respect. I used to wonder why she hated cowards so much…she never did tell me, she told me several things about her home life, and none of them were pretty. Her father…if you could call him that, was abusive, tried to rape her, I shouldn't be telling you this, but you can't understand me, She fought back, she always did fight back. Anyways, she told me that at the age of 16, her father…."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"My dad sold me for drug money, when I was 16," Roxanna said ,as she sat on Carlos's back, watching his muscles work as he did pushups, "Thought he could get a good deal for me, since I wasn't putting out and he couldn't catch me long enough to fuck me."

Carlos paused in doing his pushups and turned his head to look at the woman on top of him. She gave him a small smile and said, "I don't know what you were expecting from my home life, it was never rainbows and butterflies."

"Something a little better than a crack head father who tries to abuse his child and then sells her off," Carlos said, motioning for Roxanna to get off him, "Who bought you?"

"The government did," Roxanna said with a smirk, climbing on Carlos's bed and laying on it, "Of course, they're not going to tell you that, they have the sale written down as something like computers or equipment, because you know, human trafficking and all that jazz."

"Why did the government buy you, Roxanna," Carlos asked, grabbing the bar that was mounted to the closet doorway and began to do pull-ups.

"Because, I had potential, they were looking for people who had the potential to become freaks or something like that," Roxanna said, with a shrug, playing with her hair, "They wanted to turn us into freaks, Unmentionables, as they called it, people with special powers, like fire or some shit…they placed the people with potential in labs, injecting us with things that either killed us, or turned us into what they wanted us to be, Unmentionables."

"Do you consider yourself lucky that you survived their experimentation?" Carlos asked, as he finished doing pull ups.

"No, I wanted to die, we weren't given that option, the first batch was allowed that option, but we had to suffer through pain and agony, and once you survived that round of pain, another round was waiting for you, until we became their perfect unmentionables," Roxanna said, looking over to Carlos as he stripped in front of her, "I don't think I'll ever feel normal again…after what they did to me, I'm a monster now, I'm too powerful, too deadly."

Carlos leaned forward and grabbed Roxanna's chin saying, "You're not a monster, not by a long shot, we've both done terrible things in our lives, but we did it only to protect ourselves and those we care for."

"You're right, Carlos," Roxanna whispered, before the door to Carlos's room opened and a man came in.

Carlos grabbed Roxanna's hair and snarled, "Who told you to stop sucking my dick! Get back to it, whore!"

"Roberto, the boss is expecting you and your luscious pet tonight at dinner, we have a guest that wants to test out your pet…."A man said, earning a growl from Carlos.

"I don't share, tell Xavier that he can find a different pet to give up," Carlos grunted, earning a smirk from the man.

"I feel you, that's one hot piece of ass, I'll tell him about the new shipment of young girls from Ethiopia, I think the guest likes them on the young side."

The man slammed the door behind him, and Roxanna lifted her head whispering, "You can't protect me all the time, Carlos."

"I know I can't, but I'll try to," Carlos said softly, earning a frown, "What?"

"Why do you insist on protecting me? I don't need it, and you can't have the extra stress on your back," Roxanna said, as Carlos pulled away from her and walked into his bathroom.

"I can too, and besides, I want to protect you, my gut is telling me to protect you, and I always listen to my gut," Carlos said, giving Roxanna a half smile, "Let me handle this, now, I need a shower, you should join to make our covers more credible."

Roxanna rolled her eyes but got up and followed Carlos into the opulent bathroom.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Who's the kid?" Lula asked, as Stephanie led Diesel into her condo, Heidi attached to her front with the sling, "I think he's too white to be the offspring of your boss."

"He's not Carlos's son, this is our neighbor's kid, Diesel, Diesel, this is Lula, say hi!" Stephanie said, placing a hand on Diesel's blond hair.

"Hi Lady," Diesel said, holding on tight to his helmet, "You're Ms. Stephanie's friend?"

"I sure am, I make her panties," Lula said, earning a hiss from Stephanie, but causing Diesel to perk up.

"Panties, what are those?" Diesel asked, going over to Lula and sitting down beside her and Brittany, who was given Heidi.

"Well, they're girl underwear, I make them, because Stephanie wants to open a store selling them," Lula said, making Diesel's eyes get big.

"Will Ms. Stephanie sell boy underwear too, cause I like to wear my underwear outside of my pants and so they get torn and dirty all the time. Mommy hates when I do that, cause she has to go out and buy more!"

Stephanie rolled her eyes, thinking of the time Diesel appeared on the front porch, wearing nothing but underwear, cowboy boots, a blue cape and his helmet shouting lines from the movie 300. Maybe she and Lula could create a pair of boy's underwear that can handle even the craziest of three year olds.

Stephanie looked at the two women and said, "I thought we were meeting at my parent's house to get Valerie and the girls?"

"Your grandma did it," Brittany said, looking down at Heidi and making faces at her, "She did it early this morning, got your sister, and the girls out of your parent's house, just before the crack of dawn, they're out now, grocery shopping, which is why I called you over here."

"And why are you out of Lester's place?" Stephanie asked, sitting down beside Brittany and Heidi, "You're in a full body cast, how are you moving around?"

"Lester, I told him your family needed me and he was on it like a hornet," Brittany said, as she bounced Heidi in her arms, "By the way, have I told you that your grandma was cool?"

"Man, she's the shit, she got all Alpha and shit and was snapping at that Stepford Wife you call a mom, had the three of them in Lester's SUV and out the door, without much fuss," Lula said as Diesel talked in her other ear about Sparta or something of the sort.

"Oh good," Stephanie sighed, laying back in the seat and looking at Heidi and Brittany interact, "I've kind of gotten this Nanny thing down, I mean, she's a little baby, she's only just gotten rolling over down, now we're working on sitting up and junk."

"Wait until she's crawling and shit," Lula said, as Heidi reached out and tugged hard at Brittany's hair, making the woman yelp with pain, "She'll be in everything and when she starts walking, it's game over to your sanity…"

"What?!" Stephanie yelped looking over to Heidi, who smiled and reached out for her, "Sanity?!"

Stephanie turned to Lula and then Brittany and then Heidi and then back to Brittany and then back to Heidi, frowning. Brittany had Heidi's face squished against hers and with their faces together, Stephanie could see that Heidi had the same cheek bones as Brittany and the same colored eyes. If Stephanie looked hard at Brittany and Heidi, she could even see that they had the same skin tone and the weird little second dimple in their chin. It made Stephanie's gut churn with an odd feeling. There was no way in hell Brittany and Heidi could-

"We're back from the grocery store, with goodies," Grandma Mazur's voice broke through Stephanie's thoughts, "We got lots of junk food, for the kiddies and Brittany, and Brittany, when do you want to talk about killing Steve?"

"Now if you want," Brittany said, her eyes on Stephanie's turned face, "Come on, Valarie, tell me what in the hell happened to you."

Stephanie gave Brittany a smile and then got up to help her grandma, there was no way in hell that could be possible!

TBC…

* * *

Hmm...Stephanie remember, always listen your gut, please leave a review!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11, Enjoy!

Warning: Violence but only a little

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Enjoy!

* * *

Benito Ramirez let out a sound at the sight of the young woman in front of him. She was a willowy thing with big brown eyes and long black hair. She was a gift from Alpha, for winning the regional championship and god, she looked fucking hot as hell, with the fear in her eyes, since she had been a unwillingly gift.

Those were the best kind of gifts too.

Benito watched the girl scurry away from him, and whisper, "Please, don't do this, I'm a virgin, I'm saving myself for someone, please, I just want to go home."

The lighting in the cheap hotel room turned Ramirez's into something feral as he chuckled darkly and said, "The Champ likes virgins, and he likes to break virgins into two, so they remember what the champ can do to them."

The girl let out a shriek as Benito grabbed her by the shoulders and tossed her onto the dingy bed. She screamed and hit at the man, but Benito laughed it off and began to tear at her clothes. He had his erection posed to enter the poor girl but was interrupted by a voice.

"Well, isn't this a fucking sight for sore eyes, I do recall being in this position two months ago, though my accommodations weren't so stellar."

Benito turned his head and smiled darkly and got up from the woman he was about to rape. The woman grabbed her torn dress and ran out the hotel room, slipping past the person standing in front of the door to the hotel room. The person closed the door and locked it, earning a dark chuckle from the man.

"The Champ is happy to see his property, it's a fucking shame The Champ didn't beat you hard enough, you're all ready for another beating though…and The Champ likes to give out a sound beating," Benito said, his erection harder than rocks, "You got me all excited, you remember that night we had, I had you squealing like a pig, I hope to hear those sounds again."

"Well, hate to pop your fucking bubble, The Champ," The person said, lifting their hand in the air and jerking it to the curtains of the window, and making them snap close by themselves, "I was giving my buddies time to come and find you, but things have come up and well, I don't like leaving things a mess. You're my mess and sadly, I have to clean you up. I made a promise and now, I have to make sure I keep it."

Benito smirked darkly and grabbed the person in front of him growling, "The Champ is going to make sure you don't walk out of here alive….bitch."

"You wish," The person smirked, their eyes turning black, "It's time to show you what a real freak can do, Champ…."

Thirty seconds later, the door to the hotel room opened, a person walked out and left the door opened to reveal that the room was covered in a thick layer of blood and the remains of Benito Ramirez was strung over the bed in bloody strips.

"One pile of shit down," Brittany whispered, walking down Stark Street, wiping chunks of flesh off her bloody face, "And one more to go….Jimmy Alpha, there's a reason why they call me a fucking shark."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"It says here that at the five month mark, Heidi can recognize her own name and know where sounds come from and if she's like her father, Heidi can mouth things and sit up, she also knows now that she can make her own noises and will do so all the time," Lester said, reading the baby book and eating an apple, "Has she been making noises?"

Tank rolled his eyes and said, "You're turning into a woman, Santos, with all this baby book shit, now get it together and go back to paperwork."

Lester stuck his tongue out at Tank and then turned to Carlos saying, "Yo, bossman, how's the nanny?"

"Good, Stephanie is going fine with Heidi, and she picked up a small shadow as well, a three year old boy named Diesel," Carlos said leaning back in his seat, "Right now, they're all at her home, helping with her sister, who apparently came into town, last month, with her kids. Her sister's husband ran away with the baby sitter and the money."

"Ah, so that's the man Brittany is stringing up by the nuts, she's very excited to see him die, you know," Lester chuckled, reading more of the baby book, "You know, you look good as a father, and please, take it as a compliment or as flirting, I don't mind. Heidi is good for you and so is the nanny, you leave work early to go spend time with them and you're a workaholic."

Carlos shook his head and looked down at his paperwork his face blank. Lester was right, Heidi was good for him, Heidi had changed him in the span of three months. He had gone from a renegade mercenary to a father. A father who would do anything for his child and see to it that she had everything she wanted.

That went the same with Stephanie, who had become an important figure in his life as well. It had been a while since he felt some stir inside of him, when he saw a woman. Stephanie was proving to him that there was someone out there who could catch the attention of Carlos Manoso. She was good with the kids, and she was good at designing panties, if you could believe that. The thought of Stephanie in one of her one of a kind panties had something stirring in the pit of his stomach. Stephanie was sexy, with big blue eyes, curly brown hair and a personality to match it all with.

"Carlos, just got word from some people in Stark Street, The Champ has been found," Tank said, his head poking in the doorway of the office.

"Get a team to pick him-" Carlos started but Tank cut him off with a, "They found him dead, someone already killed him, the cops found what was left of him, looks like someone tore him apart, the hotel room was covered in blood, but they found no evidence that anyone was in the room with him."

"Shit," Lester swore, finishing his apple and tossing it out, "I ought to feel sorry for the bastard, but, it couldn't have happen to a better person, good riddance."

"Jimmy Alpha is dead too," Tank said, holding up a DVD, "Santos, Carlos, this is the security camera, you need to take a look at it. I mean, you really need to look at it."

Tank went over to the flat screen that was in Carlos's office and slipped the DVD into the player and turned it on, saying, "This is from the security cameras that are in front of Alpha's office, here take a look."

Carlos and Lester leaned forward and watched as Tank sped up the DVD, until the time stamp said April 12th 2:30 AM. There was nothing going on in the security film, cars going by and a bunch of thugs making their way down the street. At 2:34, however, a lone person walked up to Jimmy's offices, turned their head to the camera and then the camera went dark. Tank paused the DVD and asked, "Now, who did that look like?"

"There is no fucking way in hell," Lester said, looking at Tank, "That couldn't be her, she's in a fucking body cast!"

Lester turned to Carlos and said, "Can you believe that?! Tank thinks-"

"We need to go talk to Brittany," Carlos said, getting up and walking out his office, "She's been keeping secrets and I hate it when I'm kept in the dark."

Carlos made his way to the elevator to go to the garage to go find Brittany at Stephanie's place. He didn't care if Tank and Lester followed him, he needed to talk to Brittany and now. He had seen that face before, on one person not too long ago, and when he saw it on Brittany's face, he was instantly reminded of Roxanna.

He needed answers and he needed them now.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Come on Heidi," Stephanie said, as she patted the floor in front of Heidi, making the baby gurgle and laugh, "get up on those hands and knees and crawl."

"Give her a few more months and she'll be crawling," Brittany said from her spot on Stephanie's couch, "Oh man, I'm going to take Steve to the fucking cleaners! Val! You're going to be a rich woman soon, I have Ben in the family courts filing full custody papers for you and then we'll be in the works of getting the money the bastard ran off with. Any properties and assets left by him, when he ran, will be yours, soon you'll be a set woman!"

I know who to go to whenever I need to get a divorce," Grandma Mazur said, with a giggle, watching Diesel, Mary Alice and Angie color on the floor beside Heidi and Stephanie, "She's out for blood."

"So...has that man asked you out yet?" Grandma Mazur asked Stephanie , earning a sqawk from her grandchild, "I'll take that as a no..."

"He's my boss," Stephanie said, lifting Heidi up and into her lap, "We're not going to go out, I mean, even though he's handsome and a good father, doesn't mean we're going to go out and date."

"You should," Brittany said with a wink, "Trust me, I've been working with this man for a month, he's a good person, and he talks about you all the time at Rangeman, 'My Babe is such a good nanny, she handles Heidi so well, I don't know what I would do without her..."

Stephanie blushed and said, "He doesnt know me that well, I mean, i'm sure he ran a background check on me..."

"You'd be dumb to think if he didn't," Brittany said with a smile, turning to Val, "We'll get the court dates soon, for now, relax and enjoy the company."

"Thank you so much, Brittany," Valarie said, grabbing Brittany's hand, "I don't know what I would have done without you."

"It's no problem," Brittany said, shaking her head, "Would have done the same for anyone else who came to me, now, have you thought about what schools to place the girls in? I know the schools in Stephanie's neighborhood are awesome, and the neighbors like to keep to themselves!"

"That's why I choose this place, and not anything near the 'Burg," Stephanie said getting up with Heidi, "The neighborhood is quiet and my phone isn't blowing up everyday, whenever mom sees me doing something wrong."

The women and children started to talk about schools and what they love to learn about when the door to Stephanie's condo opened and Carlos came in, his face stony. He ignored everyone in the room and zeroed in on Brittany who blinked and crossed her arms. He pointed to the kitchen and said, "You in there, now."

Stephanie opened her mouth to argue with Carlos but Brittany held her hand out and said, "I got it, Stephanie, don't worry."

Brittany looked at everyone in the room and then, with ease, took off her leg cast, her arm cast and her body cast and stood up, walking over to the kitchen, with Carlos following behind her. They walked outside into the backyard and Carlos slid the door shut, saying in a soft voice, "Do you know her?"

"Who do you mean by her?" Brittany asked, sitting down in a porch chair, "Do you mean, Stephanie, or Lula, or any female you kn-"

"Please, don't play dumb with me," Carlos said, moving forward and tossing the security camera DVD onto the table..."The Champ and Jimmy Alpha were killed last night, the camera in front of Alpha's office caught you, before it was shut off. Now, I'm going to ask you again, do you know her?"

Brittany closed her eyes and placed a hand on her chest. Carlos could feel the fury build up in his chest. When Brittany didn't answer, he grabbed her arms and lifted her up snarling, "Answer me! Damn it!"

"My sister," Brittany whispered, looking up into Carlos's eyes.

"What?" Carlos said, not believing the words he heard.

"She-was-my-sister!" Brittany's voice raged, as she pushed Carlos away from her, "SISTER! SHE WAS MY SISTER, ROXANNA WAS MY FUCKING SISTER!"

Carlos was wary about the wild eyed look Brittany had on. She was panting heavily and her fist were clenched. She let out a long sigh and said, "Roxanna was my younger sister, there were three of us, but, I bet while you were shacking up with my sister, she never talked about her other sisters."

"No," Carlos said, looking at Brittany, who sighed and closed her eyes, running a hand through her hair, "Why are you here?"

"You've ever been called a coward, Carlos?" Brittany asked, sitting down and looking at the man, "Has anyone close to you, someone you loved, have they ever called you a fucking coward?"

Carlos had never been a coward before in his life, fear and the like never beeb afraid of anything, not death, or pain, or any illness, he could sit here and try to remember a time in which he was called a coward, but he wouldn't come up with anything.

Brittany snorted softly and said, "No, you're not a coward, Carlos, but I am, that was Roxanna's favorite thing to say to me, coward, you're a coward Brittany, you would sell your own soul to not face any trouble. She was right, in some ways, I am a coward...before I tell you why I'm here, let me tell you about our lives, Carlos, mine and Roxanna's life.

TBC...

* * *

Oh...family secrets are about to be revealed and let's take Stephanie and Carlos's relationship to the next level, with some baby magic! Please review, they make me write faster!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12!

Warning: Rough Topics.

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Enjoy! Sorry about the early post? I'm in Tokyo and we're like...13 hours ahead of the East Coast!

* * *

_The Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 12_

_Strength_

* * *

"Mister Manoso, you're very silent tonight," Stephanie said, walking into the man's home office, watching him look through his paperwork, "Is there anything I can do?"

Carlos shrugged his shoulders and looked over to Stephanie. It was well past midnight and Heidi was fast asleep. Stephanie stood in the doorway, dressed in a pair of terry cloth pajamas bottoms and a tank top. She had a towel wrapped around her head and was eating a cup of yogurt. She gave him a smile and said, "Well, If I can be of any help, tell me."

"Wait, there is something you can do," Carlos said, putting his papers down, "Can you just sit here, I could use the company...I had a rough conversation with Brittany."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Stephanie asked, sitting down in the soft chair across from Carlos's desk, "Sometimes, it's best to get it out your system...after you left the condo, I went to find Brittany but she wasn't in the backyard. It was like she jumped the fence or something."

"Something indeed," Carlos said, rubbing his face and then he said, "I found out that Brittany is Heidi's last living relative, her aunt, if you could believe that."

"What?" Stephanie yelped, tucking her feet underneath her, "I knew I wasn't crazy, when you put Heidi and Brittany together, they look almost like mother and daughter, but there is a difference there."

"She made a promise to her sister, to watch over Heidi and I," Carlos said, shutting down his laptop and looking over to Stephanie, "She's been fulfilling that wish for over a year now, and...I'm glad she told me, it's nice to know that I still have some sort of connection to her sister, besides my child."

"Did you love her, Heidi's mother?" Stephanie asked, leaning back in the chair she sat in, "You don't have to answer, if you don't want to..."

"I loved her, deeply, at first, it wasn't love, but it turned into love and I wanted it to last for a long time," Carlos said, with a soft smile, looking over to Stephanie, "But, things happen and though it hurt my heart that she died, I can and will move on to find someone else, she wouldn't want me to be alone and said, raising our child."

"Of course she wouldn't, besides, you're not alone, you have friends and family around you and you have the best damn nanny around, now, if we can get Heidi to sleep a solid 6 hours in the night, we'll be good to go," Stephanie said with a smile, spooning up some blueberry yogurt and saying, "I'm going to have to teach you how to shop for food, Diesel demands sweets and you have none, how am I supposed to appease the adventurer with granola and yogurt?"

"Oh yeah, the adventurer, well, I'll leave my card, so the nanny can make sure the adventurer gets his treasures," Carlos said, leaning back in his chair, "Are you his unofficial nanny?"

"More like official, his father came to me the other day and offer to pay me to take care of Diesel during the day, since he's here all the time," Stephanie said with a shrug, "To think, three months ago, you would have never seen me with children, let alone a baby and a toddler, but now, I don't know what I would do without Heidi and Diesel, I love them too much."

"And they love you too," Carlos said, earning a blush from Stephanie, "I mean it, Babe, they love you, and you're a natural with them. Though, the nanny is allowed to have some time off away from the baby, would you like to go out with me, this weekend? I bought tickets to a Broadway play, okay, Ella bought the tickets, and they would be wasted on me, unless you want to go with me to see Mamma Mia on Saturday?"

"Oh," Stephanie said, looking at the tickets Carlos produced from his desk, "I do like Mamma Mia, but who will look after Heidi?"

"She has a dozen uncles who would fight for the chance to look after her," Carlos said with a smile, placing the tickets back in his desk, "So, we leave at 9 in the morning, we'll spend a day in NYC and then go see the play. Pack an evening dress, we're wining and dining after the play."

"Oh, I better go out and buy a dress," Stephanie said, getting up from the chair and making her way out the office, "I'm going to make a bottle, just in case the Princess wakes up, she usually does at one in the morning, have a good night, Mister. Manoso."

"Babe, call me Carlos, Mister Manoso is my father," Carlos winked at Stephanie, earning a blush from the woman, "Have a good night, Stephanie."

Stephanie gave Carlos a smile and then left his office. Carlos got up from his desk and turned off the lights, leaving the office and heading up the stairs to his room. He could hear Stephanie in the kitchen, making Heidi's bottle and cleaning up any mess that was left there. She was a good nanny, and even though she sometimes made the baby powder explode or put too much bubble bath soap in Heidi's tub, she was the perfect nanny for his child.

Carlos laid down in his bed, looking over at the picture of Heidi he had on his nightstand. Stephanie had taken the picture of the baby sleeping in her favorite bouncer. She was innocent and pure in this dirty world and Carlos promised that he would see to it that she remain that way for as long as he could watch over her. He thought back to earlier in the day, when Brittany told him all she knew about Roxanna and what happened to her after she left Xavier's compound.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"I bet, while you two were shacking up at Xavier's compound, she told you all about how our father tried to rape her and beat her, right?" Brittany asked, turning to out into the small grassy backyard.

"How do you know about Xavier?" Carlos asked, earning a shrug from Brittany

"He's made a lot of enemies, and I'm one of them, and not for the reason he kidnapped Roxanna and held her prisoner for a year, she choose to get kidnapped," Brittany said with a snort, "Anyways, those stories, about our father were true, he did try to beat and rape her, but not before he finished with me. Our father, he wanted Roxanna, she looked so much like our mother, it hurt, and our father...well, he didn't take to our mother's passing so well, drug overdose, our parents weren't the cleanest of people. Roxanna and my other younger sister fought back, they had the strength to do so, even if they were potential Unmentionables, they could tap into that power and they used it. I wasn't so lucky, my powers laid with knowledge and manipulation, I was a smart child, I used to place my hands on books and the knowledge would seep up into my fingertips, I didn't need to study at school and pretty much I was labeled the gifted child. The weak gifted child and my father saw an opportunity there. He threatened me, he told me that if I didn't sleep with him, he would kill us all in our sleep, I was the only thing standing in between our deaths from our father. I was 7 when he started to rape me and it lasted until I was 18, when he sold us all to the government."

Carlos sat down beside Brittany and asked, "Were you the coward she always talked about?"

"Yeah, she and my other sister...when they found out about me and my father, they called me a coward and asked why I didn't fight back. I couldn't tell them about the threats, and so...I lied, I told them that I was sleeping with him so he wouldn't beat me, he would only beat them. I didn't mean to make them hate me, I was only protecting them, I couldn't let them go through what I was going through. I was their older sister, I'd do anything to make sure they were safe, I did everything I could. They hated me with a passion, couldn't stand the sight of me. My father was no better, he hated me because I wasn't Roxanna, or our mother, he'd beat me and rape me and then leave me there to bleed. I endured it because I knew, if I could manipulate him long enough until we were all old enough, Roxanna and my other sister would have a chance to escape."

Brittany looked over to Carlos's blank face and said, "My sister, with all her perfect qualities, was just as flawed as me, but she didn't know it. I knew I was flawed, I grew up quick and learned everything the hard way. At least Roxanna and my other sister didn't feel the pain I did, that's what older siblings do, protect their younger siblings and that's what I did, I did everything for them."

Carlos stood up and then said, "Why did you never tell her the truth, you could have told her, she would have understood the situation."

"She wouldn't, she was egotistical, Carlos," Brittany said, crossing her arms and looking at the man, "It was always about Roxanna, Roxanna's way or the highway, if I had told her about the threats, she would have called me a liar and turned it into something about her. I kept quiet about it, because I didn't want to burden her and my other sister and I didn't want Roxanna to find something else to blame me for. Sometimes it got bad, and I mean really bad to the point of suicide. I was so happy when our father sold us, so fucking happy, I didn't care who bought us, as long as were away from that man, I was happy."

"She told me about the experiments, about what the government did you and your sisters," Carlos said, earning a shrug from Brittany, "She said only two of you survived, that meant your other sister died in the experiments."

"She did, and Roxanna hated me for it, too, told me that I was the cause of all this," Brittany said, leaning back in her seat, "When were sent out on our first mission, I helped Roxanna with it and then I fled, I didn't want to be a burden to her anymore, she could handle herself and had plenty of money. I went back to the states, got a new alias, went to school and became a lawyer. She sent me a warning not to find her or else she'd slit my throat and frankly I didn't want to find her. I built my life up and it was fine up until a little over two years ago, when Roxanna appeared in my home, talking about you and how I owed her. I didn't owe her shit, and I told her so, I finally told her everything, I told her about our father, I told her the truth, I wasn't a damn coward, like she and my sister used to call me, I was looking out for them both, I had to do what I could to protect them. Roxanna didn't believe me, at first and she and I had a yelling match before she left. She came back, when she left Heidi with you, she asked me to watch over you both, and for me to help her end her life so both you and Heidi wouldn't be in danger. She asked to stop being a coward and to do this one last thing for her and I did. I killed my sister and kept my promise to watch over you and now Heidi."

Carlos looked over to Brittany and saw that she had tears in her eyes and her head was shaking. She let out a hiccup and whispered, "I couldn't save them, no matter what I did, I couldn't save them, they were right, I was too cowardly, I am a coward…."

Carlos got up and hugged Brittany to him, saying, "You are not a coward, from what you told me, you're a person full of strength and love. Roxanna may not have saw it back then, but she saw it before she died, she had to have seen it. She probably hid her true feelings, we'll never know, Brittany, but know this, you're not a coward, you are a good friend and you are a good aunt, I want you to be in Heidi's life and I want you to be in my life."

Brittany wrapped her arms around Carlos and said, "Good, cause I wasn't going to leave you to your own devices, anyways, you're hopeless without me, Carlos."

"Don't I know it, Bella," Carlos chuckled, kissing the top of Brittany's head, "Now, call Lester and tell him your fine and that you want him to take you out tonight."

"Kay, and you take Stephanie out this weekend, enjoy yourselves, Lester and I will take Heidi, and go deal with Rachel and Julie, it's not too late to be in Julie's life, don't shut her out, don't do what I did with my sisters," Brittany said, looking up at Carlos, "I'll worry about the legal aspects, you go be a father, and take Heidi with you, when you go see her, she's her sister, she deserves to see her."

"Yes ma'am," Carlos said, as he let go of Brittany, "Alright, I need to go get things done, are you going to be fine by yourself."

"Hell yeah, I will, I'm going into Court, and taking back my cases and winning them all," Brittany said, sticking her tongue out at Carlos, "Gotta go talk to Lester, first, he is my boyfriend, after all."

Carlos turned to look at the door that led back into the kitchen, saying, "Okay, Brittany, I don't want to hear about-" Carlos said, turning to Brittany, only to find that the woman was gone, "Just like her sister…."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Carlos did what Brittany wanted him to do, he called Rachel, who kicked up a fuss, but let him talk to his child, who seemed happy to talk to him. She told him about school and what she was doing, she sounded like she was living a good life. Julie asked him to come visit her soon, and he promised her that he would go and see her, but he would be bringing a few people with him who would love to meet her. The arranged the visit at the end of April, and they would be staying at the house Carlos had in Miami. He was pretty excited to see his girl and I knew she would be excited to see Heidi and Stephanie. There was no way in hell he was going to Miami without Heidi's sexy nanny, he couldn't wait to see her in a bikni, he would make sure that they would spend some time at the beach.

Carlos smiled and settled back in his bed to go to sleep. In a few days, they'll be in beautiful New York city, enjoying time together and Carlos would show Stephanie how a man was supposed to treat a woman. Carlos would be fooling himself if he said he wasn't attracted to Stephanie and her unique ways.

And Carlos wasn't one to play the fool.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"It was foolish to tell him that, Brittany," A man sighed, earning a huff from said woman, "Letting him know other secrets, It's dangerous! You'll put him and the baby in danger."

"He saw me on camera, what was I supposed to do, wipe that out of his memory? No, I promised Roxanna that I would watch him, did you take care of those nosey people?"

"I did," The man said, with a sigh, rubbing his tired eyes, "Look, I trust your judgement, Brittany, this man seems good, he wants Xavier dead too, tell you what, just keep watching over him and I'll watch you both from the shadows, got it?"

"Got it," Brittany said, before she smiled and said, "I gotta go, I have a hot date with a man name Lester, okay, more like a nightcap, but you know what I mean."

The man shook his head and said, "Get out my sight, Brittany! You naughty woman!"

Brittany smiled and walked over to the door, but not before ruffling a head of blond hair saying, "Diesel, go to bed, it's way past your bedtime, I'll come hang out with you on Saturday, when I have Heidi, okay?"

"'Kay," Diesel said, rubbing his eyes and leaning against the leg of the man that Brittany was talking to, "Night Brittany…"

Brittany gave the child a wink and left in a puff of floral scented clouds. Diesel looked up to the man and asked, "When will I learn how to that, Deda?"

Ivan Maxim smiled down at his son and said, "When you're older, now remember what I told you about Heidi and her father, right?"

"Right, I gotta watch over them, and if trouble comes, I give you the warning," Diesel said, his small face serious, "What about Miss. Stephanie, I like her and Carlos likes her too, what about her?"

"We'll watch out for her too, Xavier is not a nice man, he'll kill her if she stands in his way, remember, you're a big boy now, and I'm giving you a big responsibility, you have to watch over Heidi."

"I got it, Deda," Diesel said with a smile, as his father picked him up, "Deda, I think Heidi is very powerful, sometimes, when she looks at me...nevermind... I can just tell, I like her…I'm going to marry her when we get older."

"Don't say that, kid," Ivan said, carrying Diesel up to his room, "Now, what does this big bad Director have to do to get his spawn to sleep?"

"I need to put more stickers on my helmet!" Diesel said as his father carried him into his bed, "Adventurer ahoy!"

TBC…..

* * *

Oh Boy! Stephanie and Carlos are going out on a date! What's Diesel talking about and how important is his father? He knows Brittany so...very important, I supposed...please review!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13, enjoy!

Warnings: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Enjoy!

* * *

_The Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 13_

_If Only_

* * *

"Not that one, the blue one, it goes well with your eyes," Lula said, as she and Brittany watched Stephanie model dresses for her day out with Carlos, "It's modest too, it doesn't scream 'please jump my bones!' it's classy and sexy."

"I agree with the fashion expert right here," Brittany said, finishing the pretzel in her hand, "You look amazing in it, Carlos isn't going to know what hit him, so, you ready for the date?"

"I guess as ready as I'll ever be," Stephanie said, looking down at the price tag before going into the dressing room and putting it on, "I just can't believe he asked me out on a date, I hardly know the man…"

"Please," Lula said, crossing her arms, "You've been living with this man for three months, you know he likes Chinese, he hates fast food, his favorite color is navy blue and he likes to watch The Wiggles with Heidi, when he thinks no one else is in the house with him. You also know he has another child with a different woman in Florida, what else did I miss?"

"He's the CEO of a very successful company, and he has a lovely lawyer for a friend," Brittany said, earning a pinch from Lula, "Ouch! It's true!"

"Brat," Stephanie said as she left the changing room and looked at herself in the mirror. The floor length blue gown she wore was stunning, with a sequenced pattern from the bodice down to the hem of the dress. It had thin straps and swooped low in the back, meaning Stephanie would not be wearing a bra when she wore it. The material was light and airy and lifted in the air when she spun. She was in love with the dress and she expected Carlos would love it too. Instead of the usual Macy's, the women went to a somewhat high end dress shop and with the somewhat high end feel, there was the somewhat high end price tag too.

"1,200 dollars for this dress," Stephanie sighed, looking at herself in the mirror, "Do I really want to spend that much money?"

"I wonder how his face will look, once he sees you in it?" Brittany wondered, looking over to Lula, "I mean, it is his favorite color… I bet he'd fallen in love with you instantly, if he hasn't already…"

"Sold," Stephanie said, quickly, walking back into the dressing room to take it off, "It's not like I can't afford it, but, wow, never spent so much money on one dress."

"It's going to be worth it," Brittany said, with a giggle, as Stephanie changed back into her clothes, "Now, I'm thinking strappy black FMP, and you put your hair up in an elegant bun, all the men will be looking at you and wondering where this sexy lady came from…you are going to be the life of the party."

"And you won't smell like baby vomit and Johnson &amp; Johnson," Lula said, earning a groan from Stephanie.

"I don't know, Carlos sounds like he's still hooked on Heidi's mother," Stephanie said, walking out the dressing room, "I don't think I can compete with-"

"Stop right there," Brittany said, holding her hands up, "Let's not talk about my sister, the relationship those two had was complicated, and a pain in my ass, I know for a fact, Carlos isn't hung up on her, he's going through things, but he'll get over it, he's dealing with it in his own way, which is the wrong way, but he'll see the error of his ways. He likes you, Stephanie, and I'm glad he does, you're good for him, in ways my sister could never be, you ground him and you make sure that he's a good father. Don't worry about Carlos and his past loves, he's patching himself up now."

"You can help him patch up by being there for him," Lula said, placing an arm around Stephanie's shoulder, "And smacking him, when he says something stupid, we give you permission to do so…."

"Well, since I got permission," Stephanie said with a giggle, looking down at the dress in her hands, "Okay, let 's go buy this and shoes, I can't believe I'm about to spend this much money on this piece of clothing."

"Splurge a little, besides, I got the perfect panties to go with it," Lula said, with a wink, making Stephanie blush, "I just finished making one of your designs, I think you're going to like it!"

"I don't know, Lula," Stephanie said, as she gave the woman behind the till her credit card, "I'll be the judge of that."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"I asked Stephanie out this weekend," Carlos confessed to Tank, earning a blank stare from the man, "And not out with Heidi, but just me, this is a date, isn't it?"

"Sounds like it," Tank said, leaning back in the SUV seat, "How long has it been since you've been on a date?"

"I don't remember, too long, more than three years, I guess," Carlos said, with a shrug, his eyes never leaving the Bar they were scouting, "I think I fudged it up too, since I was talking about Roxanna before I asked her out."

"The worst thing you could ever do," Tank tsked, turning his head to Carlos, "That's the one thing I've learned from Lula, don't ever bring up your past flames, with your new flames."

"It was a tiring day," Carlos reasoned with Tank, "I had that conversation with Brittany and Stephanie was there and she offered her ear, I shouldn't have talked about Roxanna."

"Are you still in love with the dead woman?" Tank asked, looking at the bar, "Or is it maybe respect, or something of the like."

"I lived with her for a year, I had some feelings for the woman, but…the way she left me, she just left, and she never said goodbye or anything, never told me she was pregnant with my child and showed up suddenly with the baby," Carlos said with a groan, rubbing his face, "Brittany was right, she was egotistical, if she had left with me, things would have been different, but no, she was always the lone fucking wolf."

"Like you?" Tank asked, earning silence from Carlos, "That's what I thought, Carlos, you two were so alike, it hurt, and maybe that's why you were attracted to her, but, let me tell you now, Stephanie is a good woman to be around with, not dating wise, but otherwise. She's good with your daughter, she loves Heidi to bits. She's a good friend and a good person in general, don't compare her to Roxanna, because that would be comparing day to night."

Carlos leaned back in the seat and looked out the window. Fuck, Tank was right, Stephanie and Roxanna were two different people, with two different personalities and traits. Shit, he was going to apologize to Stephanie, when he went home and he'll make it up to the woman, it's the least he could do for her, for being such a berk.

"There's our skip," Tank said, watching a buffed man swagger out the bar they were looking at, "Let's grab him and drop him off at the station."

While Rangeman was lucrative just offering security to homes and companies, they also did bounty hunting on the side. That in itself was very lucrative and who was Carlos to say no to extra money. They caught the dangerous skips and left the small ones to the amateur bounty hunters. They helped out with several bail bond offices but Vinnie Plum was their main one, and once he hired Stephanie Plum, he put two and two together and found out that Vinnie was Stephanie's cousin. How those two could be related, he didn't know how. Vinnie was a nasty man, who liked to dabble with farm animals in the bed. That was nasty, and Carlos voiced his opinion about it, which was rare for the man, since he was a closed book.

Tank and Carlos got out the SUV and quickly made their way over to the man. When the man saw them coming towards him, he took off in a flash, heading down the alleyway. Carlos smiled to Tank and said, "Shit, I love it when the give us a chase, good work out."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Well, Heidi, what do you think about this dress?" Stephanie asked, turning to the baby, who sat on top of her bed, propped up by her baby doughnut, "Is it pretty?"

Heidi gave her a smile and clapped her hands, babbling and laughing. Stephanie smiled and said, "You're right, it is perfect for this weekend."

Stephanie hung the dress up in her closet and then turned to Heidi, watching the baby grab her favorite toy and shake it, her eyes wide when she heard the bell inside of it. Stephanie sat down on the bed beside Heidi and said, "If you're excited about this toy now, wait until you're older and you see all the other toys you have waiting for you, Heidi."

Heidi stopped shaking her toy and turned to look at Stephanie for a moment, before going back to her toy. Stephanie frowned, leaned forward and said, "Heidi," her eyes getting big as Heidi turned to her again, "You know your name! A baby milestone! You recognize your name! Oh Carlos is going to be so happy!"

Heidi let out a loud squeal and lifted her arms up to be picked up, which Stephanie obliged. She spun her around and said, "This calls for a treat, applesauce and formula, Papi is going to be so proud of you, Heidi, he's going to call you by your name all the time now."

Stephanie carried Heidi down the stairs and was about to enter the kitchen, when the front door opened and Carlos came walking in. Stephanie smiled and turned to Ranger, but stopped short at the sight of him.

"Holy shit! What happened to you?!" Stephanie exclaimed, rushing over to the man in front of the door and checking him out, "Carlos, you're bleeding!"

Carlos's clothes were torn in a few spots, his face was scuffed and there was a large blood stain on his shirt that was getting bigger. Carlos shrugged and said, "Just an unruly skip and cop, don't worry, it's just a scratch."

"Just a scratch?" Stephanie asked, shaking her head, "You're bleeding?! Diesel! Come in here!"

Diesel came running out the kitchen, his face covered in chocolate. Stephanie turned to the child and asked, "Does Papi look like he has just a scratch?"

"No, it looks like he's been hit by a truck!" Diesel said, going up to Carlos and asking, "Papi, do you need to see my Deda? He's a doctor, he fixes people!"

"It's just a scratch, the skip had a knife and grazed me," Carlos said, knowing it was the wrong thing to say because Stephanie was grabbing his hand and leading him into the downstair's bathroom, making him sit on the toilet and putting Heidi in a bouncer that was in the tub. She turned to Carlos and said, "Take your shirt off,"

Carlos rolled his eyes, he had been living with Stephanie for too long, and took his shirt off, ignoring the gasp Stephanie gave him.

"This isn't a scratch!" Stephanie exclaimed, turning to Diesel, "Go get your Deda, Papi needs stitches…"

"Adventurer AHOY!" Diesel boomed, grabbing his helmet, which was outside of the bathroom and putting it on, "Deda, we have a medical emergency! Papi needs stitches and a sticker!"

Diesel ran out the bathroom and down the hall. Stephanie and Carlos both winced at the loud thud they heard and the low groan from Diesel before they heard him run off and out the house. Carlos smiled and said, "Well, at least he's not hitting the walls as often as he used to."

"That Helmet-eye coordination is getting better," Stephanie said, with a smile as she grabbed a wash cloth and wet it, "Honestly, I don't know why you didn't let Bobby check you out, before you left Rangeman."

"I didn't go to Rangeman, Babe," Carlos said, as Stephanie cleaned his bleeding wound, "I went and got my skip, took him to Trenton PD and then came right here. It doesn't hurt."

"Don't lie to me, Mister Special Ops Mercenary man," Stephanie said, glaring at Carlos, "This knife wound is deep! And what's this about an unruly cop?"

"I take it that you and Morelli have history," Carlos said, as Stephanie cleaned his wound, "He accosted me in the station, wanting to know why I have his woman shacking up with me."

"What?" Stephanie yelped, looking into Carlos's eyes, "That son of a bitch! I'll kill him, what did he do to you?"

"Landed a few good punches and then got knocked out by me," Carlos said, watching Stephanie take out a bottle of alcohol, "So, you two do have history?"

"Yeah, bad history and let's leave it like that," Stephanie said, pouring alcohol onto another cloth, "This is going to hurt, Carlos, I'm sorry."

Stephanie pressed the wet rag against Carlos's wound and heard him hiss and felt his muscles tighten up from the pain. Stephanie shook her head and said, "I can't believe you went walking around with a wound this bad, you're lucky Diesel's father is a doctor."

"I'm sorry, Babe," Carlos said, making Stephanie look up, "I'm sorry for what I said to you, the other night, about Roxanna, that was rude of me, I shouldn't have said that."

"Don't worry, Carlos," Stephanie said, pressing the cloth against Carlos's wound, "We all have our skeletons and like I said, I was an open ear for you to talk to, you don't talk to a lot of people and it's best to get it all out, right?"

"Right," Carlos sighed, looking over to Stephanie, "Thanks for being understanding but know this; I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable, it was just heavy on my chest."

Stephanie shook her head and said, "Mister Manoso, do be quiet, it's in the past, let's move on, shall we?"

"Yes, let's move on," Carlos chuckled, watching Stephanie grab his hand press it to the cloth.

"Good, Heidi has something to show you," Stephanie said, picking up the baby and bouncing her, "Look, call her name."

Carlos gave Stephanie and look but then said, "Heidi, Quedria…."

Heidi, who was busy grabbing at Stephanie's hair, stopped and turned to her father, blinking,she gave him a squeal and reached out for him, smiling and bouncing in Stephanie's arms. Carlos smiled at Stephanie and said, "Well look at that, she knows her name, she's growing fast…"

"Well, she has a good father," Stephanie said kissing Heidi's cheek, and looking down at the baby.

"And she has a good mother too," Carlos said, pausing and thinking about what he just said, "Well I meant to-"

"Nannies are children's second mother," Stephanie said with a smile, looking down at Carlos, "Sounds like Diesel and his father are here, I'll go take Heidi and give her the treat I promised her, I'll um…see you soon, don't stress yourself, Mister."

"Promise, Babe," Carlos said, just as Ivan appeared with his satchel, "Ivan, it's just a scratch, you didn't have to come here."

The tall man, crouched down and pulled the cloth away from Carlos's stomach and said, "A scratch? This wound is half an inch deep, you're going to need stitches and a tetanus shot. Come on, let's go somewhere so you can lay down, while I work on you."

Carlos liked Ivan Maxim, he enjoyed the silence the man brought with him and he enjoyed the witty banner the man had as well. Like Stephanie told him the first time he heard about Stephanie, he was a famous doctor from Russia, and moved into this area to hide away and work at his home practice. Diesel looked exactly like his father, blond hair, blue eyes. Carlos could already tell Ivan would have his hands full with Diesel, when he became a teenager.

Ivan led Carlos into the living room and told him to lay on the couch and not to move. Carlos did what he was told to do and watched as Ivan snapped gloves on his hands and took out a numbing agent, a syringe, cotton balls and surgical thread that would dissolve on their own. He also took out another syringe saying, "I'll give you the tetanus shot afterwards, now try not to bunch your muscles up, it'll make it worse."

Carlos sighed and closed his eyes, feeling the sharp prick of the syringe and then he felt nothing at all. Ivan cleaned the area commenting that Stephanie did a good job cleaning up his wound and then began to stitch Carlos up. Six stitches later, and a big tetanus shot later, Carlos had a bandage on his wound and Ivan was instructing him to wait three hours, before showering and that the stitches would dissolve after a couple weeks. Iva cleaned his mess up, shouted for Diesel to leave with him and then he was off, leaving Carlos with Stephanie, Heidi dozing in her arms. Carlos looked over to Stephanie who gave him a look and said, "Just a scratch, Papi?"

"Alright, it was a serious wound," Carlos said, pulling his shirt down and smiling as Stephanie's eyes followed the patch of skin that was slowly being covered, "See something you like, Babe?"

"No! Nothing at all," Stephanie said quickly, blushing and looking away, "At least I got someone to look after that wound, I bet if Bobby knew about that wound he would have tied you down and stitch you up with no pain meds."

"Yes, that is true, thank you, Babe," Carlos said, standing up gently and making his way into the kitchen, to get a bottle of water, "I was going to take a shower but now I can't."

"You can at least wash your face," Stephanie said, walking over to Carlos and touching the bruise that was forming on it, "I'm sorry if Joe caused you any problems, Carlos."

"Don't be he was destroying your image and so, I shut him up," Carlos said, with a shrug grabbing a dish towel and wetting it so he could wash his face, "You're under my wing now, Babe, and I protect those who nest under it."

"How sweet," Stephanie said as she looked at the time, "Well, it's 7, are you hungry, I actually made a decent meal tonight, pasta, nothing too big, Diesel like it."

"Sure, let me change first and then I'll come back down," Carlos said, giving Stephanie a wink and then heading up the stairs. Stephanie ran a hand up and down Heidi's back and sat down on the couch in the living room. When Carlos had called her Heidi's mother, she felt something in her stir. She had come to love the baby as if she was her own child, if you could believe that. With one smile and a handful of giggles, Heidi conquered Stephanie's baby phobia and nestled herself in the woman's heart. It didn't help that she was growing some feelings for the baby's father. She liked Carlos, he wasn't like any other man she had met. He was a great father, a kind friend and a hard worker. He loved children, he was great around Diesel and Mary Alice and Angie. When Diesel started to call him Papi, he took it all with stride and took the child under his wing. Carlos was better than any man she had interacted with, Carlos treated her like something else, he treated her like a woman should be treated and she loved it. She wanted to spend more time with Carlos and Heidi, she wanted something else, but she was too afraid to think of it, too afraid to know what might happen if it did occur.

Stephanie looked down at Heidi and whispered, "Oh Princess, I really wish I was your mother…if only."

TBC….

* * *

Someone is catching feelings! Now how will this all bloom, well that's later on down the road! Please leave a review! ;D


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14, enjoy!

Warnings: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Enjoy

* * *

_The Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 14_

_Date_

* * *

"I don't think I'm ready to leave Heidi with just anyone," Stephanie said as she carried the sleeping girl up to Brittany's house, "I think we should just cancel this whole weekend and take her back to the house right now."

"Too late!" Brittany said, opening the door and plucking Heidi from Stephanie's hands, "And I ain't just anyone, I'm your lawyer and best friend and Lester's Carlos's cousin, now get out of here, you kids, we've got this one!"

Lester swooped past Stephanie and Carlos, snatching the baby bag from Carlos's shoulder saying, "Smell ya later, Cuz! Have a good time you two, we're going to have fun here, oh catch!"

Lester tossed Carlos a set of keys, while Carlos tossed Lester a set of keys. Lester gave the two a wink and then closed Brittany's front door shut. Stephanie placed a hand on her chest and said, in a soft voice, "I miss her already."

"She's going to miss you too," Carlos said, turning Stephanie around and leading her over to Brittany's driveway, "Now, I thought, since it's just the two of us, we'd take something other than the Cayenne."

"Holy shit," Stephanie breathed, looking at the car parked in the driveway, "No way, this is like…sex on wheels!"

The car Carlos pointed out to Stephanie was a black Porsche 911 Turbo that was sitting innocently under the morning sunlight. Stephanie ran up to the Porsche and whispered, "It's calling my name…now, I know men and their four wheeled babies, and I'm not one to be easily cowed by a man, so…may I drive this wonderful machinery?"

"You take good care of my child, I know you'll take good care of this one too," Carlos said, tossing the keys to Stephanie, who caught them with a squeal, "Lester moved our things into the back, don't worry about unloading the Cayenne, she's all yours, Babe."

Stephanie climbed into the driver side of the car and buckled up, before putting the key into the ignition and turning it on. She let out a coo as the engine purred to life and the console lit up. Stephanie turned to Carlos and asked, "Shall we take the long way, Mister Manoso?"

"The long way is the best way, if you want to enjoy the Porsche," Carlos said, giving Stephanie a wink and she put the Porsche in drive and sped out of Brittany's driveway, "Babe, too much gas."

"This baby deserves to be driven at the speeds it was destined to hit," Stephanie said shifting the gears on the Porsche, "Even if we go the long way to NYC, we'll be there in less than hour!"

They took the back way into NYC, going around the busy main roads and cutting through Pennsylvania and going across New York. By the time they got to New York City, it was one in the afternoon and the weather was promising to be beautiful. Carlos directed Stephanie to the famous Plaza hotel saying, "We'll be staying here this weekend, I got us a two room suite, order anything you want, it's on me."

"You don't have to, Carlos," Stephanie said, as they made their way into the opulent hotel, "I could help pay for it too."

"No," Carlos said with a headshake, "No price, Babe, think of it as a bonus for doing so well with Heidi."

Stephanie rolled her eyes and said, "Alright, Mister Manoso, I won't spend a dime."

Carlos checked them in and led Stephanie to the elevator. He stuck the key card into a slot in the elevator and the elevator took them all the way up to the presidential suite, making Stephanie turn to the man and say, "Carlos you didn't have to get the best room in the hotel! That must have cost a fortune!"

"Remember, no price, Babe," Carlos said, opening the door to the suite, "Welcome to your home away from home for the next three days."

The presidential suite was beautiful, with a tasteful mix between modern and classic. The colors were a soft blue and white, with white modern couches mixed with classical side tables and accent pieces. A fireplace, which was empty, sat against the wall of the suite, with a large landscape picture above it. There was a dining area that could easily fit 10 people and a door that led into a large master bedroom, that held a four poster bed and tasteful furniture. Across the living area of the suite, another door led to another master suite, that was modern yet just as grand as the other suite. There were floor to ceiling windows on one wall, letting in the beautiful view of New York City and the coastline. The suite was perfect, in Stephanie's opinion.

Stephanie turned to Carlos and said, with a smile, "Perfect, now, which room do I get?"

"Choose any room," Carlos said, with a smile, walking over to Stephanie and placing an arm around her waist.

"I do love that four poster bed, I bet I could just melt in those blankets," Stephanie said, walking over to the bedroom and entering it, "I think I want this one."

"Well then, get settled in and freshen up, I'm taking you out to lunch in Central Park," Carlos said, before he went over to the other master bedroom so he could freshen up.

Stephanie let out a tiny squeal and then quickly shut the door behind her, she couldn't believe that she was in New York City, with a handsome man such as Carlos. Stephanie raced over to her bag and took out the pale blue sun dress she packed. This would look good on her, with some strappy sandal wedges. It was nice and warm outside, so she wouldn't be cold at all. Stephanie jumped in the shower, taking note of the jetted tubs and making plans to take a nice long soak in it tonight, took a quick shower and jumped out, drying off quickly and slipping on the dress, all while moisturizing and fixing her hair up.

The perks of being a multitasking nanny.

Stephanie was ready in a record 10 minutes and was just in time to see Carlos walk out his room, dressed in khaki's, a dark blue polo shirt, black loafers with his hair tied back in a ponytail. Stephanie had only seen Carlos dressed in two ways; combat Carlos and Powers suit Carlos. They were all sexy as hell, but there was something about seeing Carlos dressing so normal. It made him look so…so damn good.

Stephanie smiled at Carlos when his eyes took in her frame, "Do you like, I have a matching dress for Heidi too. It's for the Easter Party that Brittany's hosting next week."

"You look amazing in it, I'm glad to be getting a sneak peak of it," Carlos said, walking over to Stephanie and holding out his arm, "Shall we go, my lady?"

"Oh, yes please," Stephanie said with a smile, slipping her arm through Carlos's and walking with him out the suite.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"She had two sisters," Xavier whispered, looking down at the file, "Two older sisters, one dead the other MIA…how did you come up with this information?"

"I have a few people in the back of my pocket, sir," The person in front of Xavier said, with a shrug and a smirk on their face, "Found this information hidden away in the computer sales vault, old but golden, right?"

"You will be handsomely rewarded for this information," Xavier said, his ice grey eyes on the person in front of him, "Now be off, I have a family reunion to plan…"

The person left without flare and Xavier leaned back, looking down at the pictures in the file. All three young women that were pictured were sisters, one of them was Roxanna. She looked defiant as ever, but looked exhausted. The other photo was that of a pretty woman, with softer facial features. She had the same look at Roxanna, defiant and angry but her picture had the word, "DECEASED" stamped across it. The last picture was that of the eldest sister. She didn't look like her other sisters, with more childlike features, though she did have the same eyes as the other girls. Unlike her other sisters, she had the look of resign and seemed to be utterly bone tired. Xavier looked down at the lengthy report of the last sister and found several medical incidents. STDs, signs of two miscarriages, victim of incest and rape and old injuries from past abuse. The other girls' medical records were three times smaller than the oldest sister, which meant she was taking one for the team and protecting the other two from the fate she suffered.

"Bethany Steward, but knowing her, she changed her name, gifted with manipulation and can easily gain knowledge and information from any source of information she touches," Xavier whispered, looking down at the file, "Last known age is 19, this is nearly 8 years old, so she must be around 27 now. While her sisters were labeled as level four Unmentionables, she was labeled as a level 9 Unmentionable, with the potential to jump to level 10 and then some, why, is the question I want to know."

Xavier continued reading the file and paused seeing in bold print, "ADVERSE REACTION TO THE SERUM, PRONE TO VIOLENT AND DEADLY OUTBURTS AND CAN EASILY TRANSFORM INTO A SECOND SKIN. SIBLINGS SHOW NO SIGN OF SECOND SKIN,ALL DNA TESTING DONE CONCLUDES THAT BETHANY'S CUSTODIAL FATHER IS NOT THE BIOLOGICAL FATHER. TYPE OF SECOND SKIN UNKNOWN."

Second skin was a government term used to classify Unmentionables who were not derived from human parents. Usually that meant vampires, or werewolves or something of the sort, but Bethany was clearly not classified as any of those creatures, which made her a hot commodity. Was this the secret that Roxanna hid from him, her half-sister? Or was there something else that was going on. Xavier would find out and he would find out soon.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Carlos took Stephanie to a small but upscale café that sat near the lake that rested in Central Park. They were given prime seating on the outside patio, facing the lake. They drank mimosas and enjoyed a three course meal consisting of sautéed greens in a smoky sauce, grilled salmon with herbed rice and salad and then finished it off with ice cream and cake. Stephanie balked, when Carlos actually ate his dessert.

"The temple can take a day off, you know," Carlos said, making Stephanie roll her eyes and steal the last bit of cake that Carlos had on his plate, "Babe…"

After their late lunch, Carlos took Stephanie around Central Park for a couple hours. He even took her out on one of the row boats and they spent a good time talking and learning about one another. Carlos loved to listen to classical music and read mystery novels, which had Stephanie giggling since the man acted like a mystery most of the time. He enjoyed watching tennis and cooking healthy food, and deeply devoted to Heidi. During their trip he called Brittany 8 times to check on the baby and on the ninth call, Brittany threatened him and hung up the phone. When they were walking back to the hotel, they had passed by Tiffany's Co of New York and Stephanie saw the most beautiful diamond necklace on display in the window. It had been a simple circlet necklace, on a platinum chain that was completely covered in diamonds. It glistened brightly in the sunlight and made Stephanie fall in love with it even more. Stephanie already knew that it was worth more money than she would ever have and sighed wistfully and made her way back to Carlos who was buying her an iced coffee.

Stephanie had giggled all the way back to hotel after that incident. They spent an hour in the suite lounging around and talking again before Carlos got up and told Stephanie to get ready for dinner. Stephanie hoped back in the shower, took a longer one, so she could wash her hair and then spent almost two hours doing her hair and makeup. She did put her hair up in an elegant bun, with one long curl tucked on the side of her face. She walked out the bathroom and over to the bed, where her evening gown lay and beside that was a pink package that Lula had given her. She knew what it was, the panties that Lula made, one off her designs, but which one? Stephanie opened the package and took out the panties, squeaking in horror.

The panties were made based off of one of her riskier designs. They were black silk and tiny, it would barely cover her doodah! It was held together by sting that cris crossed in the back and together to create a thong. Stephanie blushed deeply and stepped into them pulling them up and over her hips. She looked at herself in the mirror and said, "Shit, my ass looks amazing in this! I'm going to have to tell Lula to make more of these!"

Stephanie smiled and wiggled her bottom a bit before she skipped over to her dress and stepped into it, zipping the side up. Stephanie stepped into her heels, put on her earrings and necklace and made her way out into the living room of the suite, stopping short at the sight that greeted her.

Carlos stood near the door, wearing a black tux with a white, crisp shirt underneath it. He let his down and had one real diamond stud in his ear. He gave her a dazzling smile and said, "Babe, you look like a million bucks, dios, you look amazing."

Stephanie smiled shyly and then walked over to the man saying, "You don't look bad yourself, Mister Manoso, wow, you clean up well, you look so….Carlos…."

"I always wanted my name to become a form of compliment," Carlos teased Stephanie, tugging at her curl, "But, I do know, that when we walk into the theater, everyone will be looking at you, and then they'll be watching you as I dine you as well."

Stephanie smiled and said, "Are you ready to take me out, Carlos?"

"I am," Carlos said but paused and said, "Wait, I do have something for you, Babe, close your eyes and I'll give you it."

Stephanie smiled and closed her eyes. She heard Carlos shift closer to her and then she felt fingers on the back of her neck and then the necklace she wore was sliding off. Stephanie felt something cool settle on her collar bone and then Carlos said, "Open your eyes, Babe."

Stephanie opened her eyes and looked down to see a new necklace on her neck, but not just any necklace, it was the Tiffany necklace that she had admired from the display window. Stephanie's eyes widened and she turned to Carlos saying, "Carlos, no…this is too much, I can't accept this from you."

"No price, Babe," Carlos said, placing a hand on Stephanie's back, "Remember?"

"I know that but…this is too much!" Stephanie said, her fingers tracing the delicate patterns the diamonds made, "Carlos, take it back."

"Please, at least for the night, wear it," Carlos asked Stephanie, making the woman falter and look at him.

"You asked me nicely," Stephanie said, with a smile, before pouting, "You never ask me nicely to change Heidi's diapers, you just give her to me and say, 'Babe, change her,' and then give her to me. Oh fine, I'll wear the necklace but you're getting back tonight, alright?"

"Okay, Babe," Carlos said, leading Stephanie over to the door, "Now, let's go see our play."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie had gone to plays before, but never dressed in formal evening wear and never with a hot man. She had seen the movie production of Mamma Mia but never the play and Carlos had gotten the balcony seats, prime real estate. The play was living and fun and she even saw Carlos smack a smile here and there. It was one of the nicest plays she had ever seen and win the final curtains slid down she was up on her feet cheering and clapping. Carlos was even clapping and it made something in Stephanie stir. Before going to the play, Carlos had told her that he didn't do plays so it was a pleasurable experience to see that he truly enjoyed the play.

After the play, Carlos drove them to a restaurant that was nestled in a large private park. When he pulled up to the valet, he gave the man parking his car a stern look and said, "If there's anything missing I'm taking your fingers."

"Carlos, be nice!" Stephanie said, as Carlos led her inside the restaurant, "He's only doing his job."

"Babe, always keep them on their toes," Carlos said, with a chuckle, as he led her up to the podium, "Manoso, private room with the terrace."

"Right this way, sir," The hostess said, leading Stephanie and Carlos past a dance floor and the dining area and over to a set of French door, "Enjoy your time here, a waitress will bring you your wine soon."

The hostess left them menus and then walked out the private room, shutting the door behind her. Stephanie looked down at the menu and said, "Carlos, there are no prices on here."

"It means, if you have to ask, you can't afford it," Carlos teased softly, making Stephanie blush, "Stephanie, I know I promised you pleasure, but I do have to discuss some things with you."

Stephanie sipped her water and asked, "Is this about the chocolate stain on your couch, Lula and I tried to get it out as best as we could, but you know how Diesel is-"

"This isn't about a chocolate stain, but thank you for telling me about that," Carlos said with a wink, watching Stephanie blush, "I need for you to go down with Heidi and I to Miami."

"Oh…" Stephanie said, blinking, "For what?"

"Julie, my eldest, Brittany lit a fire under my ass about seeing her and being a father to her," Carlos said, as a waitress came with their bottle of wine, "She's right, I need to see her, we're going down there at the end of April, Me, Heidi, Brittany and Lester, but I need my nanny to come with me as well, so, how about a few weeks in Florida."

"Oh, well, sounds like a good idea," Stephanie said with a smile, drinking some of her wine, "So, should I pack a bathing suit?"

"You should Babe," Carlos said as the waitress appeared again to take their orders, "So, Babe, what do you want to eat tonight?"

Stephanie and Carlos ordered their meals and ate steak tartar and wild greens as an appetizer. They enjoyed the scenery offered from the gardens that were seen from the terrace. Their meals came and they ate and dined, talking softly and enjoying the good food, before Carlos helped Stephanie up from her seat and led her onto the dance floor.

"You're not wearing a bra, Babe," Carlos said, as he laid a hand on her bare back and led her through a dance, "And just like I said, all eyes on you."

Stephanie smiled and said, "Shut up, Mister Manoso and let's enjoy this song.

They danced for a long time and stopped in between songs to drink wine. Stephanie didn't know if it was the wine or the excitement from the night, but as she and Carlos slowed dance, she pressed herself closer to the man and gripped his shoulders tighter, her eyes close as she laid her head on his shoulder. They swayed to the soft music and enjoyed each other's company. Stephanie looked up at Carlos and found that he was staring at her with an intensity she had never seen before. She felt her temperature rise and she whispered, "What's with the look, Carlos?"

"I'm just taking in the sight of you Babe, you're so amazing, so damn sexy…I bet you haven't been called that in a long time…"

Stephanie blushed and bit her lip saying, "Well, it's been a few years, and I don't think it's appropriate if my boss is telling me I'm sexy…."

"Well, it's even worse when he does this," Carlos said, before he leaned down and kissed Stephanie on the lips. It was a deep kiss that promised something more to Stephanie if she wanted it and damn it, she wanted it so badly! But…could she really do this, what if Carlos really turned out to be like her ex….oh fuck! The insecurities from her past relationship came roaring up and suddenly she pushed Carlos away from her mumbling, "I'm sorry, but I can't do this!" running away from the man and rushing back to their private dining area and onto the terrace, letting the cool air sooth her overheated skin. Stephanie ran a hand over her face and then shook her head whispering, "What am I doing?!"

TBC…

* * *

Aw Steph, we need to work on those insecurities! Please leave a review!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15! Enjoy!

Warnings: none, maybe some sappiness

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Enjoy!

* * *

The Mercenary's Daughter

Chapter 15

Ex-girlfriends

* * *

"I want to say that I'm sorry for kissing you, but we both know that that would be a lie."

Stephanie turned around and looked over to Carlos, who stood in the doorway of the terrace, looking at her, his face blank. Stephanie let out a shudder and said, "You're right, Carlos, I don't want you to be sorry for the kiss but…"

Stephanie turned away from the man and leaned on the railing of the balcony, looking out into the darkness. She heard Carlos walk over to her and place his hands on her shoulders.

"Babe, you're freezing," Carlos said, softly, his hands sliding up and down her arms, "Let's go inside and talk about this."

Stephanie let Carlos led her back into the private dining room and sat her down at their table. He asked their waitress to bring some coffee and something sweet and decadent. He pulled his chair over to Stephanie and sat down beside her, running his fingers up and down her arm. Moments later a coffee tray was placed on their table along with a big slice of chocolate cake topped with delicate slivers of gold flakes. Carlos made Stephanie a cup of coffee, just like the way she enjoyed it and then said, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I should," Stephanie said, turning to Carlos as he gave her the cup of coffee, "I'm afraid, Carlos…you're handsome and wonderful with a beautiful daughter. I wonder, sometimes, if this is all a big dream and that I'll wake up soon. Sometimes, I wonder if maybe, The Dick scarred me more than I realize….it makes me think that the next man I fall in love with will do what he did. He used me and then tried to saddle his burdens on me. If it wasn't for Brittany, I would be god knows where. I don't want that to happen to me again, I don't want a man to walk into my life and then push me all the way to the bottom. I don't think I could handle that, Carlos."

Stephanie felt Carlos grab her chin and lift her face up. His face was serious and his eyes were dark with some emotions. He leaned in and whispered, "Babe, I've known you for a few months and you've proven to me that you're a strong woman with an attitude and personality that attracts me. Give me a chance, Stephanie and I promise you, I'll show you what you've been missing, I'll show you how a real man should treat a woman he loves. I'm not afraid to say it, Stephanie, I've fallen in love with you, and if you want, we can take it as slow as you desire. I'm giving you control, not taking it away from you."

Stephanie sipped her coffee and said, "Okay, I know it's silly to think that way, but I was scared…scared that you would lead me on, I know you wouldn't do that, Carlos, you're a good man, a very good man. Maybe it's because I wanted to push away a good thing. You are a good thing, Carlos, you love your child you're a loyal friend and your men respect you deeply. I've never been around someone so positive before…"

"I hope that positive rubs off on you," Carlos said, before he leaned in and kissed Stephanie on the lips, "We're going to take it slow and you're still going to be my child's nanny."

"You couldn't pry me away from that baby even if you tried," Stephanie said with a smile, before kissing Carlos again.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"CHARGE!" Diesel boomed charging at Lester, who let out a round of laughter and caught the boy and tossed him over his shoulders, "OH NO! ADVENTURER DOWN! AUNTIE BRITTANY! HELP ME!"

"You're on your own, brat!" Brittany said as she made dinner, "That's what you get for messing with Lester during baseball season."

"I could get used to this," Lester said, walking over to Brittany and dipping a finger in the red sauce she made, "A crazy child on my shoulders, a baby tucked away for her afternoon nap and a sexy woman to top it off."

"Santos," Brittany said, slapping his hand away from her sauce, "Flattery will not get you the cake I made."

Lester kissed Brittany on the lips and said, "I'm serious, Brittany, I love being with you, I love this feeling now, look, we can get married, adopt some children and set up play dates with Diesel and Heidi, whenever we want to."

"Married?" Brittany asked, turning to look at Lester, who was shifting Diesel onto his back, "You want to marry me?"

"Hell yeah, I want to marry you," Lester said, with a crooked smile, "Brittany, you make me feel like a million bucks. You're the first woman to ever see me for me. You make me feel things I thought I'd never feel in my lifetime. Brittany, I love you, and I want to set it in stone."

Diesel climbed off Lester's back and then ran over to the bookshelf that sat in Brittany's living room. He took out a small black velvet box and came running over to Lester, giving it to him and saying, "Here you go, Wingman!

"Wingman?" Brittany asked but got silent at Lester got down on one knee, "Oh…"

"Brittany, make me the happiest man around and marry me," Lester said, opening the box to reveal a stunning platinum wedding ring covered in diamonds with a pink diamond in the middle, "Please become my wife."

In the silence that followed, Lester was expecting a yes or no from the woman in front of him. What he hadn't expected was for Brittany's face to crumble up and for her to break out in crying, running past Lester and Diesel and up the stairs to her bedroom.

"Was it something I said?" Lester asked Diesel, earning a shrug.

"Deda says it's a woman thing," Diesel said, looking up at the man, "He says that women are the most complex things on the earth, I'm gonna go watch the wiggles!"

"Wash up for dinner," Lester said, walking over to the stove and turning off the burner, "I'm going to talk to Brittany."

Lester made his way up the stairs and over to the closed door that led into Brittany's room. He knocked once and said, "Brittany, it's me, Lester, can I come in?"

Lester heard soft footsteps and then Brittany opened the door, her eyes red and her face puffy and splotchy from crying.

"I don't deserve you, Lester, I don't deserve you, or the friends I have or anything like that!" Brittany sobbed, rushing back to her bed and throwing herself on it, "I'm such a bad person!"

"Hey, you are not a bad person!" Lester said, sitting on the bed and scooping Brittany up in his arms, "You're a good person, you see the best in everyone, and you're smart as hell and-"

"My real name isn't Brittany," Brittany said, looking up at Lester, her voice soft, "It's Bethany…I changed it, 5 years ago, to escape the government."

Lester sat up and then said, "Brittany, what are you talking about?"

Brittany shuddered and said, "I've a lot to tell you, and then afterwards, we'll see if you still want to marry me."

Lester sat in stunned silence as Brittany spoke about her real home life, not the one she created. She had been raped and abused by her father, experienced heartache and pain from the hands of the sisters she tried to protect and she had even gone so far as to try to commit suicide. She spoke of the secret program the government had placed her and her sisters in and she spoke about how her younger sister died from what they had given her. She spoke about abandoning her youngest sister and moving back to the states, getting a new life and trying to start over again.

"I'm a big coward, Lester…" Brittany sobbed in his neck, "I let my sisters die and I ran from them…you can't marry me, I'm such a bad person."

"Before I met you," Lester said, after a long moment of silence, "I use to jump in and out of women's beds. I would have 9 different women each week and wouldn't even dream about having a relationship. But then, one day, I was sitting in a cop shop, sweating my ass off, and then a woman, a pretty woman, came up to me with a bottle of water and told me that she would get me out of here in ten minutes and she did. She made me want to change my life and in the span of a year, I did. I changed myself and I did it all for her. I don't care if she's named Bethany or Brittany and I don't care about her past, all I care about is the here and now and right now and I know that right now, she'll make me the luckiest man in the world, if she becomes my wife."

Brittany looked up into Lester's green eyes and let out a hiccup. Lester smiled and wiped her eyes and then asked, "So, will you marry me?"

"Fuck yeah, I'll marry you!" Brittany said, hugging Lester tightly, "Yes, yes, a trillion times yes, I'll marry you!"

Lester let out a whoop and lifted Brittany in his arms, carrying her downstairs. Diesel came running out the living room, wearing his helmet and covered in hand soap. Lester rolled his eyes and said, "Wingman! She said yes! We're getting married!"

"YEAH!" Diesel whooped, slipping on some soap and falling on his back, "Ouch….."

"Well at least it's not the wall," Brittany giggled, as Lester kissed her deeply, "Mmm, now that I have use for everyday…"

"I know you do," Lester said, before placing Brittany on the floor and grabbing the ring box, "Let me put this on you."

Brittany gave Lester a smile and held her hand out. Lester slipped the ring on her finger and then kissed her again, saying, "Soon to be Mrs. Lester Santos…."

Brittany slapped Lester, just as the doorbell rang. She turned to the door and said, "I'll get it, get Diesel ready to eat."

Brittany skipped over to the front door and opened it saying, "Who is-EEP!"

A pair of strong yet slim hands grabbed her by the waist and then a voice said, "Hey baby, missed me much?" Before a pair of soft lips crashed into hers.

"Hey!" Lester said, running to the front door, "I heard you…what in the hell is going on here?!"

Brittany pulled away from the person kissing her and then turned to Lester saying, "Oh, I forgot to mention something, during my years on the run, I sort of became a lesbian, and had a long term girlfriend, whom I thought was on a long term mission!"

The person wrapped an arm around Brittany and said, "What up, chump, Jeanne Ellen Borrows, Special Agent and Brittany's Ex-girlfriend."

"Lester Santos, Special Ops and Brittany's soon to be husband," Lester said, pulling Brittany from Jeanne's grip.

"It's kind of weird for you to be here," Brittany said, turning to Jeanne, "What do you want?"

"Here on my new mission to protect you," Jeanne said, with a wink, "We have reason to believe that Xavier is on the move, looking for you, I thought it best if I protected you, in your home."

"Fuck," Brittany said softly, looking at the woman before her, "Why?"

"Some snitch got into hidden files, hidden files that were so hidden only a handful of people knew," Jeanne said softly, looking into Brittany's eyes, "Brittany, Xavier knows about your second skin, he knows about your sisters and…it's best if you're protected."

"Well…" Brittany said, looking over to Jeanne, "Since you're here, come in, we're about to eat dinner."

"And please, keep your hands to yourself, and don't manhandle my fiancée," Lester said, wrapping an arm around Brittany's waist.

"Don't be a party pooper, Santos!" Jeanne said, entering the house and closing the door, "That's the fun part!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"I enjoyed our time in New York, but I miss Heidi," Stephanie said, as Carlos pulled into Brittany's driveway, "I think she's going to love the gifts we bought for her, even if she's too young play with them."

"She's just going to enjoy anything we give her, she loves her nanny to bits," Carlos teased Stephanie, stopping the car and getting out of it, "Come on, let's go pick up our baby."

Our Baby, Stephanie loved the sound of that. It gave the woman a spring in her step as they walked up to the house and opened the door. The content feeling that the two had was soon melted into something else, as it seemed like the two had walked into a scene from a war zone.

The living room furniture was upturned and blankets were tossed everywhere. In the middle of the mess stood Brittany, holding Heidi with Diesel attached to her leg. On the upturned loveseat sat Lester and pretty blond woman, glaring daggers at one another. Brittany looked pissed, Diesel looked smug and Brittany was giggling and laughing, holding tight to Brittany.

"You brats, I told you, no forts in the living room and no fighting in the living room, how in the hell you manage to do both amazes me!" Brittany said, shifting Heidi in her arms so she hung off of one arm while supporting the baby's back, "Clean up, both of you, I'm bunking with a bunch of babies…."

Brittany turned to the foyer and said, "Well, come on you two, let's drink some coffee and eat some of the muffins Jeanne made, she's living here for a bit, I can never kick out an ex-girlfriend…"

Stephanie and Carlos turned to look at one another and then followed Brittany into her kitchen. Ex-girlfriends and muffins, never a dull moment with Brittany.

"I see you two have finally taken the plunge," Brittany said, her eyes on Carlos's and Stephanie's hands, which were linked together, "About damn time, I was wondering when both of you would get your heads out your asses, here, take your kid."

Stephanie took Heidi from Brittany and then sat down at Brittany's kitchen table asking, "So..uh, what's with the Ex-girlfriend?"

"Look, I was going through a phase, when I met her," Brittany said, serving the two coffee and muffins, "Anyways, she's here on a mission to protect me, apparently, Carlos, you know who is on the move, looking for me, but I can't be the only reason why he's on the move."

Carlos looked down at Heidi, who was making baby noises and blowing raspberries to amuse herself. He looked over to Brittany, who nodded her head and then Carlos said, "He won't get you either of you, I promise you."

Stephanie blinked and looked at the two people close to her. She coughed daintily and asked, "What's going on you two?"

"Well, that's a long story," Brittany said, sweetly watching Stephanie puff up and give her the deadly burg glare, "That doesn't mean I'm not going to tell you! WAIT! I'M ENGAGE!"

Stephanie stopped mid-glare and whispered, "What?! You are?!"

"See!" Brittany said, with a smile, holding out her hand to show off the wedding ring, "Lester proposed to me last night!"

"Now that's a rock," Stephanie said, with awe, looking at the diamond, "Holy shit…you're getting married, YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED! WE HAVE TO PLAN A WEDDING!"

Carlos snatched Heidi from Stephanie, before the woman launched out her chair and hugged her friend tightly. They chattered with excitement, grabbing their coffee and making their way outside to Brittany's porch. Carlos looked down at his baby and asked, "So, what are your views on weddings?"

Heidi smiled and blew a raspberry at her father, before grabbing a lock of his hair.

"That's what I thought," Carlos sighed, getting up and making his way to porch as well. It was such a lovely day outside, and hearing Stephanie's laughter made his day even better.

TBC….

* * *

Love is in the air, and so are the wedding bells! Please review I love your feedback!


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Enjoy!

* * *

The Mercenary's Daughter

Chapter 16

Sands and Water

* * *

"Eh, this has been an interesting week," Brittany commented to Stephanie as she took a flute of champagne from the waiter that walked past her, "Jeanne and Lester have been at each other's throat and it's really tiring, I mean, I'm not getting any sex, and Jeanne has been trying to slip into my bed at night too!"

"I don't know what to say about that," Stephanie said, sipping her own champagne and looking around, "But I have to admit, you throw one hell of a party."

Brittany smiled and gave Stephanie a wink and sauntered over to Lester, looping her arm through his arm. Stephanie looked around Brittany's opulent backyard and found Carlos talking to Ivan, with Heidi in his arms. The Easter party Brittany threw had a strict dress code; she wanted spring themed clothing worn. Stephanie herself was dressed in the cute pastel blue dress she had worn in New York and she put Heidi in the same dress with cute matching bloomers. Most everyone at the party wore soft colors while Lula wore a deep plum colored maxi dress, which matched the color of the silk shirt Tank wore. Those two had been going steady since Tank had helped Lula out in the hospital.

Brittany was dressed in a soft honey colored dress that made her eyes pop and showed her figure. Lester was dressed in a pair of black slacks and a soft silk shirt that matched the color of Heidi's dress. They were the talk of the party, due to their engagement and also because of the woman dressed in green, latched onto Brittany's other arm.

Jeanne Ellen Borrows was a good woman, in Stephanie's opinion, she was smart, strong and a good cook. She didn't give off any weird vibes and made Stephanie and Lula laugh themselves silly. However one thing that Stephanie noticed was that Jeanne Ellen was definitely in love with Brittany. Which was a problem because Brittany was in love with Lester…and seemed to still have feelings for Jeanne, which made for the strangest love triangle Stephanie had ever seen. Hopefully, the three of them would get this thing settled out.

"Diesel! Take off that silly helmet, please, if you run into Brittany's flowers, she's going to skin you alive," A pretty blond haired woman said, grabbing Diesel by the scruff of his Easter clothes and slipping the football helmet off him.

"Aw, but mom!" Diesel whined, pouting up at the woman, "Adventurers don't walk around without them!"

"Yeah well, this adventurer won't get any cake, if he keeps it up," The woman said, with affection, rubbing Diesel's blond locks, "Now, go be a gentleman to the girls over there."

"'Kay," Diesel said, running over to where Mary Alice and Angie stood with a group of other girls, "Ladies, Diesel is here!"

Stephanie met Diesel's mother a few days ago at the boy's house. She was a surgeon that worked in a children's hospital in New York. She had bright brown eyes, and long blond hair that was up in a curly ponytail. She wore a pink sun dress with a matching hat. The color of the dress she had on matched the color of Ivan's dress shirt.

"Geez, what's with the dress code?" Stephanie whispered, grabbing a puffed pastry, "All the couples match!"

"Babe, it's a couple thing," Carlos said, appearing with Heidi, who was drinking from the bottle in her mouth, "As you can see, we can't escape it either."

Carlos was wearing a silk shirt that was the same color as Stephanie's dress. Though she wasn't going to say it out loud, Carlos looked wonderful in those tan slacks, they made his butt look good.

"Thanks for the compliment, Babe," Carlos said, with a wink, making Stephanie blush, "Yup, you did say that out loud."

"Damn it," Stephanie said, taking Heidi from Carlos, and patting her back, "So…nice party though the engaged couple have to worry about their new guest…."

"Yes they do," Carlos said, drinking the champagne he took from a tray and looking over to the two, "I wonder how Brittany gets herself into these situations?"

"It's Brittany, she doesn't need a reason, trouble just finds her," Stephanie joked, as Heidi let out a big burp.

"I think thing are going to happen to those three soon," Carlos said, watching Lester and Jeanne glare at one another, "Something big…"

"Yeah right," Stephanie said, turning to Carlos, "I doubt anything is going to happen with those crazy fools, maybe Jeanne leaves after she's done watching over Heidi, but that's it."

"You want to bet on it?" Carlos asked, turning to Stephanie, a smile on his face, "How about we bet on what bathing suit the loser has to wear when we go down to Miami in two weeks?"

"Really? Fine then, deal," Stephanie said, shaking Carlos's hand, "You're going to look good in a speedo…"

"And you're going to look good in what I have in mind for you, Babe," Carlos said, with a wink, earning a blush from the woman.

"Look at this happy couple," A voice said, making Stephanie and Carlos turn to see Grandma Mazur, dressed in a hot pink tube dress that did nothing to keep in the extra folds of skin, "See Frank, I knew my grandbaby would choose a good hunk!"

"Brittany invited Mom," Stephanie said, looking over to her father and grandmother, "Why isn't she here?"

"She's a stick in the mud, that's why," Edna said, grabbing a flute of champagne and drinking it in one gulp, "She didn't want to be associated with anyone who's not the 'Burg. I think this party is hip! Free booze, sexy men all over the place, what more could a woman want?!"

Frank muttered a low, "Jesus woman," before turning to Stephanie, "Pumpkin, you look good, I can see this new job is doing wonders for you, you better keep it."

"I'll make sure she keeps it, sir," Carlos said, with a wink, wrapping an arm around Stephanie's shoulder, "She's a good nanny, Heidi loves her."

At the sound of her name, Heidi perked up and reached out for Carlos smiling and shouting, "D-D-,"

"Oh my god, is she going to say it?!" Stephanie gasped as Heidi reached out again, waving her hands, "Go on, Heidi say it!"

"D-DA!" Heidi screamed, earning a squeal from Stephanie, "Da-Da-Da!"

"She did it!" Stephanie said, swinging Heidi in her arms, "My Heidi did it, she said her first word! Two months before the age the book said!"

"A book?" Edna said, patting Heidi's cheek, "Stephanie, grandbaby, let me tell you something, baby books are full of themselves, babies grow whenever they want to and they do it at their own time. Knowing this baby, she'll be doing things quickly."

Carlos lifted Heidi in his arms and said, "That's right, Babe, my Querida is a fast learner, she'll be doing things on her own time."

"Alright, whatever," Stephanie said, turning to her father and grandmother, "Val's over by the fountain, chatting it up with Bobby, if you want to check on her, we found her a job, she's working with Bobby at Rangeman, as a nurse, she needs to put that degree in some use, right?"

"Right," Frank said, kissing Stephanie's cheek, "We'll talk later, come on Edna."

"Bye Grandbaby, I'm going to see if I can get one of these studs!" Edna shouted, making every man close to her shift away.

Stephanie shook her head and said, "My grandma…" before chaos erupted from the middle of Brittany's backyard.

"She is my fiancée, woman, stop pawing at her!" Lester shouted, glaring at Jeanne who smiled smugly and wrapped an arm around Brittany's waist, "And stop following her around, like some fucking lovesick puppy!"

"Lester…" Brittany started but Jeanne snorted and said, "Please, it's more than what you're doing and besides, I know for a fact that she still has feelings for me."

"Jeanne!" Brittany screamed, rounding on the woman, "Could you two stop it with the-"

"Is it true, Brittany?" Lester asked, softly, all eyes on them, "Is it? Do you still have feelings for her?"

Brittany gave them both a look and then stormed away into her house, slamming the door and huffing to her room. Lula marched up to both Lester and Jeanne and slapped them both on the back of their heads, "Not the right time to be fighting over a lady, You both made a scene too! Now, you two go hash it out, and then go apologize to Brittany, it's the least you can do!"

Lula placed her hands on her hips and watched as Lester and Jeanne walked over to the house and enter it. From all the muffle shouting it looked as though they were hashing it out right now.

"Love triangles are the worse," Stephanie said, as the party resumed, "Poor Brittany, she already has a lot on her plate as of right now."

"Picture time for the lovely couple!" A photographer said, appearing in front of Stephanie and Carlos, "And their lovely daughter!"

Carlos wrapped an arm around Stephanie, who leaned against his shoulder, all the while, Heidi was perched in the crook of Carlos's arm. The photographer took several pictures and then gave them a thumbs up and went to find other subjects to photograph. Carlos turned to Stephanie and said, "So, we're a couple now, right?"

"He wasn't lying, we are a couple" Stephanie said, with a giggle, taking Heidi from Carlos as she began to fuss, "I think it's time for a nap, I'll take her inside and lay her down for a bit, I'll be back out soon."

Carlos leaned down and kissed Stephanie on the lips and whispered, "Hurry back soon, Babe, I already miss you."

He leaned down and kissed Heidi's head saying, "Quedria, have a good nap."

Stephanie gave Carlos a smile and then made her way into the house. As she passed a few of the servers, Stephanie heard a soft, "They sure as hell don't make them like that anymore…" pointing to Carlos.

"They sure don't," Stephanie agreed with a wink, before flouncing off into the house.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Okay, so, next Tuesday, we'll have a court hearing about the child support you're not legally obligated to pay," Brittany said to Carlos and Stephanie, waving around her cup, "The hearing is at 11AM, do not be late, in fact, come early, I'm sure Rachel and her lawyer will be there, and when they do come around, do not talk to them, do not let that woman talk you out of this, okay?"

"Yes Ma'am," Carlos said, in a teasing voice, making Brittany roll her eyes, "Anything else?"

"Not really, you don't have to mention anything about Heidi or Stephanie, this isn't a court case about them, it's about you and Rachel," Brittany said, as she turned to look at Jeanne and Lester, talking softly to one another.

"It's nice to see Lester and Jeanne getting along," Stephanie commented, earning a soft head nod from Brittany as she settled Heidi in Carlos's arms, "It would make this trip highly unbearable, if those two were at each other's throat."

"Well they have to get along," Brittany said, sitting back in the buttery soft seats of the jet they were taking, "We're all in a relationship now."

"What?" Stephanie yelped, her face red, "Relationship? Like….how?"

"It's like…a ménage a trois," Brittany said, with a shrug, smiling at the blushing woman, "We've hashed it out, I love Lester with all my heart, but I love Jeanne as well, it's a trial thing, Lester suggested it. If it doesn't work, Jeanne will break it off and we'll go back to as if it never happened. We've already tried a few things in the bedroom, and I don't think we'll be stopping this three-way thing any time soon."

Carlos gave Brittany a wink and then turned to Stephanie saying, "Babe, I think I won this bet."

"I bet you saw this coming from a mile away," Stephanie sighed, rubbing her temples and glaring at Carlos, "I already bought your speedo and everything!"

"Babe, tell you what, when we're all alone, I'll model off that speedo you bought me and then you model off what I bought you, deal?"

"As long as no one else sees me in what you bought me, deal," Stephanie said with a smile, leaning over and kissing Carlos's cheek.

"You were betting on me?" Brittany asked, with a gasp, her eyes wide, "You guys are so mean! You could have thrown me in with that bet! I would have won!"

"Then it wouldn't have been the same, since you already knew the outcome," Stephanie said, earning a huff from Brittany.

"Okay, whatever," Brittany muttered, getting up and stretching, "I'm going to talk to my boneheads about our sleeping arrangements, they don't like the fact that I'm a bed hog."

"Are you a bed hog, Babe?" Carlos asked with a teasing voice, earning a head shake from Stephanie, "Good, because we're bunking in the same room while we're in Miami."

Stephanie blushed and said, "Don't forget about Heidi, she'll be in the same room too!"

"In her baby pin, she'll be fine," Carlos said with a purr, leaning close to Stephanie and kissing her lips, "We'll be in the same bed and I happen to be a cuddlier."

"The big bad Carlos, a secret snuggle bug?" Stephanie asked, her voice full of false shock, "No way!"

"Babe," Carlos said, just as the pilot of the private jet announced that they would be landing soon in Miami and for them to buckle up. Stephanie turned to look out the window, watching as the clouds gave way to blue waters, white sands and the city of Miami itself. Stephanie couldn't wait to dip into those warm waters and relax on the beach. Three weeks of sands and sun, what more could a person want?!

Carlos looked out the window and said, "Welcome to Miami, Babe, we have to stop off at Rangeman Miami first, and then we'll head to the house."

"Wait…Rangeman Miami?!"

TBC…

* * *

Eh... wanted to get to the meat and bones...time to head off to Miami! Wanted to get this chapter out the way so we can spend time in Miami and get the plot chugging!


	17. Chapter 17

_Chapter 17, enjoy! Sorry about the delay, Things are happening right now!_

_Warning: None_

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

* * *

The Mercenary's Daughter

Chapter 17

Miami

* * *

"There's another Rangeman?" Stephanie asked, as Carlos pushed the luggage carrier through Miami International airport, "Why didn't I know about it?"

"You never asked, Babe," Carlos said, as they exited the airport, "I would have told you about them, if you had asked."

"Them, so is there another Rangeman around here?" Stephanie asked, shifting Heidi in her arms, "Besides Miami and Trenton?"

"Atlanta and Boston," Carlos said, leading Stephanie over to an idling black SUV, "I was thinking of expanding to the west coast, but that might be a later thing."

"Oh, very successful, I see," Stephanie teased as she placed Heidi in the car seat that rested in the back of the SUV.

"Extremely," Carlos said, climbing into the driver side of the SUV, "Lester, Brittany and Jeanne will meet us at the beach house, we're going to Rangeman Miami for a bit, so I can personally check up on the men there."

"Who runs Rangeman Miami?" Stephanie asked, as Carlos waved to Lester, who was packing up a black Cayenne Porsche, : Since you're in Trenton."

"Oh, my cousin, Alejandro," Carlos said, pulling away from the curb and making his way down the road, "He's stricter than me, and that's saying something, but Rangeman Miami is one of the best. He's going to love you and he's going to love Heidi."

Stephanie leaned back in the seat and watched the scenery go by. Miami was beautiful, it was like being in a tropical place,without leaving the states. The palm trees were large and tall and the skies were beautiful and blue. While it was warm in Trenton, it was hot in Miami, hot enough for Stephanie to take off the half sleeve sweater she had worn on the plane. They past some beaches and made their way into the heart of the city. Carlos pointed out several landmarks and all the hotspots in Miami. When he pointed to the large 10 story mall, Stephanie was excited to go spend some money there.

They drove for nearly an hour before Carlos pulled in into the underground garage of a modern building. It was eight floors with glass windows that were tinted and had a sleek black look going for it. In the underground garage were several black cars and an empty spot next to the elevator. Carlos pulled into the empty spot and then turned the car off saying, "Welcome to Rangeman Miami Babe, now, let's go meet the team."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Rangeman Miami was a busy place, in Stephanie's opinion. There were two work floors in Rangeman Miami, compared to the one floor at Rangeman Trenton. There were easily over 70 Rangemen on the office floors. The level of respect Carlos had made Stephanie respect him even more. The men would stop what they were doing to nod to Carlos and in return Carlos would nod to them back. They didn't even bat an eye at Stephanie or Heidi, who was nestle in Carlos's arm, chewing on the shoulder of the black shirt he wore.

Carlos led Stephanie up to the second work floor of Rangeman and over to the only private office that resided on the floor and entered it saying, "Alejandro, we're here."

Stephanie had to admit, Carlos family made hot men. Alejandro was almost a doppelganger of Carlos, but his hair was a light brown and his eyes were a darker brown and his nose was smaller. He was dressed in black and was almost as intimidating as Carlos was when he was getting information from a bad guy, and he wasn't even trying to get information from anyone.

"Carlos, cousin, good to see you," Alejandro said, getting up and going over to man, giving him a pat on the back and looking down at Heidi, who looked up at him, blinking owlishly, "She's more pretty in person than in the pictures you sent me. So is her nanny, Miss. Plum, how are you?"

"Good," Stephanie said, as Alejandro shook her hand, giving her a once over, "Now that you don't look like you're going to torture me for information."

"Sorry about that," Alejandro said, with a shrug, a lazy smile on his face, "It comes naturally for me, so, cousin, are you here for business or pleasure?"

"Both," Carlos said, handing Heidi over to his cousin, "My lawyer lit a fire under me, and we have a child support case occurring in the family courts, and then, while we're here, I want to get to know Julie and let her meet her sister."

"Finally, I thought you'd never get your butt in gear and get to know your oldest child!" Alejandro said, giving Heidi a kiss on her cheek, "She's going to love Heidi and Stephanie…oh yeah, I wanted to talk to you about Rachel, she's been harping to me about child support, I told her to talk to you, and I guess you told her to talk to your lawyer."

"I did," Carlos said, his eyes darkening, "How long has she been harassing you?"

"Long before your issues, she's been doing this for over a year now," Alejandro said, slinging Heidi over his forearm and rocking her, "I have a line just for her, the Rachel line."

Stephanie shook her head and said, "It's none of mu business, but it seems to me that Rachel is becoming a liability, Carlos."

"She is, which is why Brittany is going to stop this, for once and for all," Carlos said, earning a nod from Alejandro.

"Is your lawyer still single?" Alejandro asked, with a leer, "I remember the last time I saw her, seven months back, I could use a woman like that."

"Taken," Stephanie said, with a smile, "By two people, might I add, she's very popular."

"The good ones are always taken," Alejandro teased, before he gave Heidi back to Carlos, "What are you two doing now? I'm going out to lunch, want to join me?"

Carlos let out a chuckle, as Stephanie's stomach rumbled with agreement at Alejandro's lunch offer, "Sure, we need to go sate the beast before we settle in at the house."

"I hope you're up for some Cuban cuisine, Stephanie, because there's a place that makes the best food ever," Alejandro said, leading the couple out the office, "They have the best spicy beef tostadas on this side of Miami."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"I'm so full!" Stephanie purred, stretching in the passenger seat of the black SUV and looking over to Carlos, "Your cousin is so nice, I like him."

"Don't let him hear you say that, Babe, he has a tough personality to keep," Carlos said, as he drove down the interstate, "He's worse than I am, when it comes to running Rangeman but I can't complain, the Miami branch has some high profiled clients, celebrities and the like, and Alejandro makes sure they're satisfied."

"Besides building security, what else do you at Rangeman?" Stephanie asked Carlos, looking in the back at Heidi, who was fast asleep in her car seat.

"Body guarding, security escorts, consultation with investigation groups and the like, we have our fingers dipped in a lot of things, and business is good," Carlos said, earning a nod from Stephanie, "Speaking of business, when are you going to set up shop with your lingerie business?"

"I don't know," Stephanie said, with a shrug, "Maybe I'll set it up in the summer time, I mean, I', watching Heidi 24/7, she's not a problem, but I can't set up shop with her needing me so much."

"Babe, I'll help," Carlos said, turning to Stephanie, a smile on his face, "What, don't look at me like that, Tank can head Rangeman, while I help you set up shop."

"You don't have to do that for me, Carlos," Stephanie argued, a small frown on her face, "I don't want to keep you from working."

"You won't," Carlos said, turning off the interstate and driving down a residential road, "I don't need to be at Rangeman for it to run, besides, I want to take some time off to get to know Julie and to raise Heidi properly."

Stephanie sighed and said, "Alright, Carlos, how about in June, when Heidi turns 6 months, Brittany offered me a storefront that she owns, that's where Plum's Intimates will go."

"Sounds much better than Victoria's secret, Babe," Carlos said, pulling the SUV into a long driveway, "We're here, Babe, welcome to the beach house."

Stephanie let out a sound and closed her mouth. She turned to Caarlos, who was giving her a smile and said, "This isn't a beach house, it's a freaking mansion!"

The beach house was a sprawling three story house that resided on a large plot of land, with its own private beach. There was only one other beach mansion close by to it but tall gates separated them. The beach house was an off white color, with black shutters, tall columns on the front porch and modern features on the back of it. The lawn was a lush tropical paradise, with tall palm trees and not so wild beach grass running the length of the gates. There was a private garden with tropical flowers, surrounding a pond and a gazebo. The roof was compiled of black terra cotta shingles and the back of the house was modern, with sharp edges and floor to ceiling windows that let in the views of the beach and blue waters.

Stephanie instantly fell in love with the beach mansion in front of her. She climbed out the SUV and said, "Why can't we live here? This is so pretty!"

"Only during the summers and time off, do I come down here," Carlos said, taking Heidi out her car seat and holding her sleeping form in the crook of his arm, "Come on, Babe, I bet our trio has already commandeered the best room in the house, we'll have to settle for the second best, I guess."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Put me down you brute!" Brittany shrieked pounding on her captor's back, "I don't want to go into the water! It's cold, and my hair will get wet!"

"Idle talk, Idle thoughts!" Jeanne said, as she jogged down the beach, with Brittany over her shoulder, "You're in a cute one piece and not going to get it wet, I don't think so!"

Stephanie rolled her eyes and shook her head as Jeanne tossed Brittany into the waters, ignoring the scream she let out. She turned back to Heidi and grabbed the girl's chubby fist, before she could suck on the sand that she had scoop up.

"We don't eat the sand, Heidi, we make cute castles out of it, or cover people with it," Stephanie said, earning a smile fro, Heidi, "Yup, now, let's make a castle, and we'll see if we can get Papi to join us."

"Babe, I don't build sand castles," Carlos said, from his perch in a beach chair, "I build sand fortresses."

Stephanie blushed as Carlos stood up and made his way over to Heidi and Stephanie. Instead of the loose swim trunks that Lester was sporting, Carlos was dressed in a jet black speedo that hugged him all the right places. He gave Stephanie a smile and said, "See something you like, Babe?"

"That bathing suit looks tight on you, Carlos," Stephanie said, as the man sat down beside Heidi in the sand to help them build a sand castle.

"I know," Carlos said, leaning over to Stephanie and pulling at the beach smock she had thrown over her, "I wonder who choose it for me and why she's covering up her own chosen bathing suit."

"There's a baby here and three other people in the place," Stephanie hissed, her cheeks heating up, "I don't think they'd want to see what I'm wearing underneath this beach smock."

"Fine, we'll wait until tonight, when the trio goes out for their date and Heidi is asleep," Carlos said, peering down the collar of the smock, "I can't wait to see how that piece looks on you, Babe."

Stephanie covered her chest with her hand and said, "I'm sure you're very eager, Mr. Manso…"

"Yes I am," Carlos started, leaning forward to kiss Stephanie on the lips, but a clump of sand hitting his face stopped him, "Quedria, not nice."

"Da-da-da!" Heidi screamed, waving her sandy hands and smiling broadly, "Da-da-da-da-da!"

"Saved by the baby from the insatiable Carlos Manoso," Stephanie said, picking up Heidi and walking over to the water, "Let's wash up, Heidi and then get you a snack."

Carlos wiped the sand from his face, ignoring the round of laughter from Brittany and Lester, before he lay back on the blanket Stephanie had set out for Heidi and sighed loudly. He was doing that a lot lately, when it came to Heidi and Stephanie.

Stephanie jabbed Carlos in the side playfully with her foot, as she carried Heidi into the beach house. She entered the kitchen and stopped short at the sight she saw there. A little girl, who couldn't be older than eight or nine, was sitting at the breakfast bar, eating one of Stephanie's Tastykakes and watching cartoons on the TV, giggling at the screen. Stephanie looked around for a moment and then coughed slightly, making the girl jump and turn to her. The moment Stephanie saw the girl's face she knew instantly who this child was. With the same chocolate brown eyes and black silky hair as her father, she was, without a doubt, Julie Manoso, Carlos's eldest and estranged child.

Julie blinked her brown eyes, before she smiled and said, "Hi," shyly waving her hand at Stephanie, before looking at Heidi, who was looking at her with wonder, "Oh! Is this my sister?! Ranger told me so much about her! I wanna hold her!"

"Da-da-da!" Heidi squealed, reaching out for Julie, who snatched the baby from Stephanie's arms.

"Oh Carlos!" Stephanie shouted out the back door to the private beach, "Come here, someone's here to see you!"

"Oops," Julie said, sitting on the floor with Heidi, who reached out for her hair, "I forgot to tell Ranger that I came early…"

"And on your own," Carlos said, walking into the house, dressed in a pair of black basketball shorts to hide the sinfully small speedo he wore, "Julie….your mother called me one minute ago, frantic about how you went missing and how I had something to do with it."

"Oops, might have forgotten to tell mom where I was going too," Julie said, with a nervous smile, "Well, I'm here now! We can just call her while I play with my new sister!"

"Da," Heidi agreed, waving her arms and smiling at sister.

"Ranger, I'm hungry, can we order a pizza?" Julie asked, looking up to her father, "Please?"

"Sounds like a good idea," Stephanie said, with a smile, "I'll go get the menu!"

"I'm surrounded, there is no hope," Carlos sighed, before he picked his phone up and placed the order for the impromptu meal. This was going to be a long trip.

TBC….

* * *

_Poor Carlos!_


	18. Chapter 18

Sorry about the long delay of any story I have posted, I have classes and I'm dealing with a block mate from heck...show off, egotistical son of a- grr! Anyways on to the show!

Warnings: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Enjoy!

* * *

_The Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 18_

_The Mercenary's Daughters_

* * *

"So…." Carlos said, looking at his oldest daughter, while holding his youngest daughter.

"So…." Julie said, finishing her slice of pizza and leaning back in her seat and looking at her father, "I'm a big sister?"

"No, you made your way here, by yourself, and, might I add, without your mother's permission," Carlos said, grabbing a small chubby fist, before it could make contact with his chin, "How did you get here, anyways?"

"By a bus," Julie shrugged, sipping her juice, "I know the bus system, even though mom doesn't want me on it, she says it's not sanitary, but I was on the bus and there was nothing dirty about it. Don't worry, I know self-defense and I was carrying a Taser and pepper spray! I learned from Uncle Alejandro!"

Carlos gave Heidi to Stephanie and crossed his arms, looking at Julie, "Julie, what you did was dangerous, I know you were protected but what if something else could have happened to you? At least you had your tracker, right?"

"Nope," Julie said, grabbing another slice of pizza, "I left it at home, Uncle Alejandro and Mom kept nagging me about wearing this ugly, girly necklace, and so I put two and two together and found out that it was a tracker. Uncle Alejandro and Mom butt heads and so that meant it had to be something important."

"She's too smart," Stephanie said, getting up from the table with Heidi, "Okay, Heidi, time to go to bed, say night-night to your sister!"

"Da-da-da-da!" Heidi shrieked, slapping her hands on Stephanie's shoulders.

"Okay, accepted," Stephanie said, walking out the dining room, "I'll be back in an hour, like Brittany always says, this is the perfect time to get to know your child."

With Stephanie and Heidi gone from the dining room, Julie and Carlos fell into a short moment of silence. Julie crossed her arms and rose one eyebrow and said, "Ranger, I have a request for you."

"Okay," Carlos said, crossing his arms and looking at the girl in front of him, "Shoot."

"I want to live with you," Julie said, making Carlos eyebrows rise, "And before you say no, hear me out, okay?"

"Two minutes," Carlos said, earning a nod from his daughter, "They start now."

"I don't feel comfortable around my parents anymore," Julie started, looking down at the table, "I think the only thing they see me as now, is a cash cow, I know I'm eight and stuff, but I can still think and observe things, and the way they treat me, it's horrible. Mom puts me in these stupid classes and lessons like piano and stupid dancing because we can afford to do so, she's always buying new things and whenever her snotty friends ask where she got the money from, she always says she has a little pot of gold nearby; me. I heard about how you want to reduce the payments you make to her for my living expenses, and she was real angry, she went to Dad and was screaming about how she was due this money because you left her, when she was carrying me and how she couldn't afford the lifestyle we live if you reduced the payments. She treats me like an ATM and she's always saying bad things about you, when I know they're not true. I just know it. I told Dad about my feelings and he told me that I was too young to be feeling like this, it's stupid. I want to come live with you, Ranger, at least I won't be treated as an asset, right?"

Carlos took in the determined look Julie had in her eyes and let out a breath of hot air, she was not going to take no for an answer, but he wasn't about to reject her. If the environment she was in was toxic, she needed to be taken out of it. He was in the perfect situation to take his oldest child, Brittany would be happy, but she might be agitated with the extra paperwork that would be thrown at her. Did she even handle custody cases? He would ask her when she got back from her….double…triple…date.

"Is this what you want?" Carlos asked, earning a head nod, "What about your friends?"

"They only like me because my mom takes us to big expensive places, they never hang out with me at school, they're big booger heads," Julie said, wrinkling her nose, making Carlos chuckle, "Alejandro says that they're bought and sold, whatever that means."

"Alright, well then, I'll talk to Brittany and see about getting custody of you and know this, in my eyes, you are my daughter, my child, nothing less, got it?"

"Got it, Ranger!" Julie squeal, jumping into Carlos's lap, "I get to live with you, and Heidi and your girlfriend!"

"Now, we have to wait, Brittany might not be able to get things done quickly," Carlos said, situating Julie in his lap, "Which means you'll still be staying with your mother."

"Alejandro says Brittany can perform miracles, I think he likes her," Julie giggled, looking at Carlos, "He keeps a picture of her in his desk, he got mad at me, when he found it."

"I don't think he wants to get caught in Brittany's web," Carlos said, rolling his eyes and looking down at the girl, "She seems to attract them like a magnet, you and Heidi don't grow up to attract men like Brittany."

"Boys are icky," Julie said, sticking her tongue out at Carlos, "But they have cool toys and junk, Mom hates it when I wanna wear shorts and shirts, instead of dresses, she forces me in them, but I wear my shorts under them and take off those stupid dresses and make her scream."

A little hellion, Carlos thought as Julie prattle on about the Legos she played with and about how she wanted to learn how to skateboard. Julie was going to be a handful, but she would flourish with his care.

"Can I have some ice cream, Ranger? I ate three slices of pizza, and I could go for a scoop of chocolate ice cream," Julie said, hopping out her father's lap and walking into the open kitchen, "I think we need some sugar to celebrate me moving in with you and my sister."

The situation hit the man sitting at the kitchen table, like a ton of bricks.

Julie was going to live with him, and Heidi. He just gave the go ahead for this to happen and what was worse, Rachel wasn't going to let Julie go without a fight.

"Why can't being a father be a simple job?" Carlos asked shaking his head as Julie came back with the carton of ice cream, "Julie, don't eat all of that."

"I promise I won't," Julie said, as she dug into the treat, "I'll only eat half of it!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

It took the man two days to figure out what was so important about Roxanna's oldest sister. Xavier may not have be young, but his mind was still as sharp as ever. It only took him looking at an old family photo and looking at the numbers.

The only living sibling left was his child.

How could he have been so blind to this revelation? No wonder why Roxanna made sure to cover her tracks, before she killed herself, she was trying to hide her sister from him. Ah yes, Bethany, the one who was still missing, she was a splitting image of his mother, with childlike features, bright amber eyes and the ever famous nose that all the women in Xavier's family received. Bethany was his heiress to his family's legacy, she needed to be found and soon.

Xavier leaned back in his seat and ordered his men in with a curt call. Once his trusted five men were in the opulent office, Xavier gave them all looks and said, "I want you to find this woman, and when you find her, I want you to detain her and bring her to me, I don't want her bodily harmed, this is my daughter, and if you even hurt one hair on her body, I will see to it that you burn in the seventh level of hell. She is the heiress to my legacy and I will see to it that she receives it."

The men were given a picture of Bethany and left the office, leaving Xavier to ponder about Bethany. Oh yes, he had chased after Roxanna, but only because of the fact that she was a carbon copy of her mother, a woman that Xavier loved dearly. When Roxanna and Bethany's mother left him, he sought her out to the ends of the earth, only to find her with three children, addicted to drugs and married to a man who had used all of her money and abused her. He left her to the mess and found out, three years after he found her, she had died from a drug overdose.

A fitting death to a woman who gave everything up to be with an old soul.

He had been surprised to see that Roxanna had followed in her mother's footstep and became an agent for the government. When he had caught her two year back, he was going to do to her what he did with her mother, make her his lover, but he couldn't do it, she looked too much like her mother that it hurt. He had given her to his second in command, who turned out to be just as bad as Roxanna. He hoped the bastard was somewhere dead now. It seemed that everything worked out for him, he now knew that he had a child, he would find his daughter and see to it she made her way into the family business.

Willingly or non-willingly.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"So, you're going to ask for full custody of Julie," Stephanie asked, pulling the thin baby blanket on Heidi's sleeping form, "And you're going to do this all on what day?"

"Monday, as soon as possible," Carlos said, walking out the bathroom of the second Master bedroom, "So, in two days, what Julie wants, Julie gets, right?"

"Oh, that's really soon," Stephanie said, walking over to the massive bed and pulling back the covers, "Rachel's not going to like that…"

"I know, " Carlos said, turning off the main light, and leaving the side table lamp on for Heidi, "But, we'll think about that later on, when Brittany files the motion."

"This is going to be one big fight, Carlos," Stephanie said, crawling into bed, "I don't want Julie or Heidi exposed to this, you make sure that Brittany puts a clause in or something to protect the girls from this."

"Everytime you talk, I fall more and more in love with you, Babe," Carlos chuckled, placing a kiss on Stephanie's shoulder, "So, what do you think about all of this?"

Still on the high of Carlos's confession, it took Stephanie a moment, before she said, "I think…if Rachel is treating her child this way, then she doesn't deserve to have Julie, she reminds me of my mother, trying to mold me into something she wanted, that I didn't, it isn't healthy for Julie, I think you'll let the child be herself, and that's a good thing. She seems to be a major tomboy, she hates dressing up, she only plays with legos, and army men, I don't think Rachel enjoys buying those games for her, it hurts Julie development to hinder her creativity and personality."

"Well, she doesn't have to worry about that," Carlos said, curling in the bed around Stephanie, "I think she's going to thrive with us, of course, I'll have to increase your salary, since you're taking care of two children now."

"…I forgot about that," Stephanie said, earning a chuckle from Carlos, "So, does Julie seem like a trouble maker?"

"I confiscated three things of fireworks from her, one of them was called El Diablo and was the size of her head," Carlos said, feeling Stephanie stiffen close to him, "She also has an affinity for finding trouble and I think her Uncle taught her how to use a gun."

"These Manoso girls, nothing but trouble," Stephanie teased Carlos, earning a nip on her shoulder, "But it's okay, I love them all the same."

"I think you and Julie are going to be great friends," Carlos muttered in the dark, "She has the same taste in sweets, I bet you two will bond over a box of doughnuts."

"Julie and I are going to get along nicely," Stephanie said, before falling asleep, in Carlos's arms.

* * *

Short and sweet, mkay, I'm going to write some more, see ya! Leave a review, please? .w.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19! Enjoy! Sorry about the long delay, I've been very busy and since I'm like on hyperdrive, since the day for me to leave Asia is coming soon, too soon for my tastes.

Warnings: Mentions of past child abuse and the like

Disclaimers in chapter 1

Please review? They're like crack to me. owo

* * *

_The Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 19_

_Forgiveness_

* * *

Stephanie threw a harassed look through the archway of the kitchen as she heard something expensive and fragile break in the living room. She heard Julie swear loudly (when did the child learn that word?!) Heidi laugh out loud and then Julie came slinking into the kitchen, where Stephanie was making lunch. She had Heidi on her hip, and was trying to look innocent as possible.

Stephanie wasn't buying it for one second.

"Alright, what did you break?" Stephanie asked, as she finished making the stir fry, "Don't lie to me, or else your punishment is going to be worse."

"Okay, so, what had happened was," Julie started, placing Heidi down on kitchen floor, "Was this, like, um, I was showing Heidi some cool moves on the skateboard Ranger got me, and, I was doing a kickflip and I kickflipped too hard and the skateboard went flying up and into the uh….TV? Please don't punish me too harshly."

"Corner," Stephanie said, pointing to the lone, bank corner in the kitchen, "And sit there, until lunch is ready."

"Well at least it's not a hot metal spoon," Julie muttered to herself, making Stephanie pause in her cooking.

"What?" Stephanie said, putting down knife she was holding, "What's this about a hot metal spoon?"

Julie gave Stephanie a look and then began to fidget where she stood, a look of fear in her eyes. Stephanie walked over to Julie and said, crouching down, "Julie…you can tell me anything, okay , you know, your father and I, along with Brittany and Lester, just want the best for you. You can tell us anything, we're not going to judge you or anything."

"When I'm really bad," Julie said softly, looking up at Stephanie, "Like, when I tear my dress or get in trouble at school, Mom always heats a small metal spoon in hot water and presses it against me, and it hurts a lot, but it doesn't leave a mark, except for this one."

Julie rolled up one of the legs of her shorts to reveal an old white scar that was large and round. She pulled her pants leg down and said, "That one was a real bad one, because she heated the spoon over the stove and not in hot water."

"Why?" Stephanie whispered, finding her voice caught in her throat, "Can you tell me why, Julie?"

"I…kissed a girl," Julie whispered, lowering her eyes, "I was curious, and so was the other girl, it was at one of those snooty parties we go to. She had me all dressed up and all the other girls wouldn't play with me, but this girl did. Those snooty brats caught us behind the bushes kissing and told everyone. My mom was livid, she took me home and told me that she wasn't raising me to be a dyke, or whatever that means and then she heated the spoon up and pressed it here. It hurt for weeks and I had to wear dresses since wearing jeans made it hurt even more."

"Did you tell your Uncle Alejandro?" Stephanie asked, pulling Julie into her arms, letting the child wrap her arms around her neck.

"No…I told dad but he called me a liar and junk," Julie mumbled into Stephanie's neck, "After that, Mom made me go to this stupid program where they called me awful things and made me look at pictures of naked men….gross."

"Way to scar a child for life," Stephanie muttered, rubbing Julie's back, "Julie, what your mother did was wrong, we're going to tell Carlos everything, alright, and Brittany's going to make sure that your mother never does this to you again."

"Okay," Julie whispered, hugging Stephanie tightly, "I'm glad Ranger is dating you, you're pretty alright."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Stephanie chuckled, letting go of the girl and turning to look at Heidi, who was on her hands and knees, rocking back and forth, "Thank goodness she's still learning how to crawl, she'd be in everything."

"So, I'll just take Heidi and go into the-" Julie started but Stephanie gave her a look and said, "Corner."

"Dang it…" Julie said, taking a bar stool and pulling it to the corner.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

_"You're a fucking coward…."_

_That was the first thing Brittany's sister said to her, the moment she stepped inside Brittany's office. It had been two long years since Roxanna threatened Brittany into watching Carlos and frankly, Brittany didn't want to see her again. Roxanna had called her this and that, threatened her life and then left, as though Brittany wasn't worth her presence._

_"What do you want, Roxanna?" Brittany asked, turning in her chair to look at her younger sister, "I'm doing what you want me to do, I'm watching over Carlos, I have a life, you need to go back to-"_

_"I don't have a life any longer," Roxanna said, crossing her arms and giving her sister a look, "My life is over with, and I want you to help me kill myself."_

_"No, I've had enough with sibling deaths," Brittany said, placing her hands on the table and spreading them out, "I'm not going to aid in your suicide mission."_

_"So, you're going to stick your head in the sand and ignore this?" Roxanna asked, disgust and hatred laced in each word, "You make me sick, you've always had, you're a coward, a turn coat, who easily spread her legs for anyone, to save her skin. You're going to help me, or so help me, I'll see to it that the Government finds you, and takes you back to that place, in chains."_

_Brittany closed her eyes, sighed and said, "Yes, Roxanna, I'm a fucking coward, you always say that but you know what, I don't care anymore…go on, call the government, tell them where I'm at, I don't care anymore, keep calling me a coward, I don't care. But, let me say something to you, Roxanna, perfect Roxanna, I wasn't a coward for me, I was a coward for you and our sister. You didn't know did you, that our father came into our bedroom one night, while you two were fast asleep, pulled me out the bed, dragged me to his bedroom and gave me two choices; fuck him or we all die. You didn't know that I was only 7 at the time, and all of this happened two days after our mother's death. You didn't know that for 11 long years, I was forced to have sex with him, every day, just so you two didn't have to face what I faced. I had two miscarriages ,one at 12 and one at 13, both of them caused by our father because he didn't want another mouth to feed. I had an STD that was so bad I became sterile, at the age of 15 I lost the ability to have children. I was beaten, pimped out, the works, I did all of this, I endured all of it for you and our sister. I did it because I loved you both, and I never wanted you to be in my position. I never told you because it was something you didn't need to bear, I pushed you away because you didn't need to endure this as well. I…I love you sister, I never want you to be in pain."_

_Brittany squared her shoulders and sucked in a breath, "If you want to kill yourself, then fuck it, I'll help you, it's the least this fucking coward can do for you, what do you need, and I'll see to it that you get it."_

_Roxanna was silent for a long time, and then she said, in a low voice, "The Widow's Kiss, a fast acting poison that'll put me to sleep and then shut down all my organs, I want to be dead in seconds, not hours."_

_"You needn't wait any longer," Brittany said, going over to a file cabinet and opening it with a key, "I have a vial here, you never know when you have to kill yourself, right?"_

_Brittany took out a small black vial and walked over to her sister, giving the woman the vial. Roxanna wrapped her fingers around the vial and whispered, "Watch over Carlos, please, and watch over my daughter, she's the only good thing that's happened to me."_

_"Daughter?" Brittany whispered, just as Roxanna disappeared in a cloud of heavy white smoke, "Fuck me…."_

_Brittany sat heavily in her office chair and buried her head in her arms, closing her eyes and sighing deeply. She just aided her sister's suicide, found out that she was an aunt and she still had three client meetings today. _

_"Sometimes, I should just stay in bed," Brittany huffed, before she sat up and wiped at the tears that pricked the corner of her eyes, "Then maybe, none of this would happen."_

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"-any," A voice said, cutting through Brittany's thoughts, "Brittany, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost, you're really pale."

Brittany blinked her eyes to focus them, her mind whirling. She looked over to Carlos, who was looming over her, concern written all over his face. She looked down at the envelope in her hand and then shook her head, saying, "I'm fine Carlos, but, you wanted to speak to me about something, before we head off to court tomorrow?"

Carlos gave Brittany another pointed look and then said, "I want to file for custody for Julie, can you make that happen in the span of 24 hours?"

"I'll see what I can do," Brittany said softly, turning away from Carlos, "I'll file the motion now and hopefully Rachel won't be too pissed off with us."

Brittany rolled her chair over to where her laptop sat and lifted it open, holding the envelope close to her chest. She lowered the envelope from her chest and looked down at the loopy letters that wrote out her name. She had found the envelope in the file that Carlos had given her, containing all of Roxanna's financial information. Finding the letter had bought up all kinds of memories she didn't want to think of, but the worst one was the last moments she had with her sister, confessing all those things, only for Roxanna to say nothing to her but to watch over her child and Carlos. It was as though Brittany had meant nothing to her, as if she had been unworthy of Roxanna's presence. It had hurt a lot.

"Good, I think a change of environment would be good for Julie," Carlos said, as he looked at Rangeman Miami's intel, "Stephanie told me that Julie is a serious tomboy, well hopefully she keeps that up, I don't think I can deal with a female female."

Brittany nodded her head absentmindedly, opening the white envelope and taking out the letter that rested in it. She unfolded the pink piece of paper and read everything that was in the letter. Her eyes widened a fraction and she had to re-read the letter three times to let everything sink in. After the third time reading it, Brittany found that she couldn't read the letter because her eyes were blurred with tears, her face crumple up and her chest heaved with silent sobs. She closed her eyes and leaned forward in the chair, resting her arms on the wooden desk and lowering her head into them. The silent sobs that filled her chest seemed to find noise and soon, she was crying out loud, her whole frame shaking with sobs.

"Gods yes, I forgive you," Brittany sobbed loudly, "I forgive you, I forgive you…a million times yes!"

Brittany felt a strong hand on her shoulder, and then she was wrapped in a pair of arms, a soothing hand on her back and the other rubbing her head. She heard Carlos's voice in her ear and then she felt him shift around and grab the pink piece of paper that fell from her hands. There was a moment of silence, except for Brittany's sobs, and then Carlos said, "I told you, Bella, she would change her mind, didn't I?"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

It had been a tiring day for Carlos, with Brittany's sudden breakdown and Stephanie's request that everyone return home soon, because Julie needed to talk to him. Nothing got done and Brittany had needed consoling, all because of a pink piece of paper.

"She's fast asleep," Lester said as he carried Brittany into the beach house, "Any reason why she went ballistic and broke down in your office?"

"Yup, right here," Carlos said, holding up the pink piece of paper, "It's a letter, from her sister."

"How bad was it?" Lester asked softly, shifting Brittany in his arms, "I hope it wasn't terrible news."

Carlos looked down at the letter in his hand and said, "Nope, only good news, I'll let Brittany tell you, when she's awake, but for now, we need to see what Stephanie….wants…."

"Oh, looks like the TV is broken," Lester said lightly, looking at the remains of the flat screen that hung on the wall, with a purple skateboard wedge in it. Carlos knew it would be a bad idea to get his eldest child a skateboard, but, he could never say no to his children.

It would become a big problem, he knew that now.

Carlos made his way into the beach house and found Stephanie, Julie and Heidi in the small unused room. Stephanie was on the floor with Heidi, playing with the soft terry cloth blocks Ella had packed while Julie sat in a corner, slouched in the chair and looking up at the wall, with a book in her lap.

"Aw come on Steph, can I get out the corner now?" Julie asked, her eyes closed, "I won't use the skateboard inside the house again, I kind of promise."

"I don't like the sound of that," Carlos said, making Heidi look up from her blocks and scream, "Da! Da!"

"Carlos, so, did you?" Stephanie asked, getting up and going over to the man, "You know…"

"I did," Carlos said, pulling Stephanie to him and kissing her gently on the lips, "I shouldn't have bought her that skateboard."

"I know, but, we have other pressing matters to deal with," Stephanie said, pulling out of Carlos's arms and going over to Julie, "Alright, Julie, tell him what you told me, it's alright, we're going to help you."

Julie slid out the chair and gave Carlos a hug, staying latched to the man saying, "Promise me you won't hurt Mom, alright?"

Carlos looked over Julie's head and gave Stephanie a raised eyebrow. Stephanie picked Heidi up and said, "Well…promise her."

"I promise," Carlos said, making Julie smile up at him before pressing her face against his side, "Julie…."

"….Mom's punishments are a little bad," Julie mumbled into Carlos's side, before looking up at the man, "One time, I got in trouble for skateboarding in a dress and she got really mad and got a metal spoon, placed it in hot boiling water for two minutes and then pressed it in my arm."

"Carlos," Stephanie said, watching the man's shoulders fill with tension, "You promised that you're not going to do anything rash okay?"

Carlos gave Stephanie a look before looking down at Julie and asking, in a tight voice, "Is there more?"

"She…she got really angry with me once, at a party, because I kissed a girl, she took a big spoon and instead of hot water, she heated it over stove and she pressed it on my thigh," Julie whispered, feeling her father tense under her , "And then, afterwards, she enrolled me in this program, because she didn't want a dyke for a daughter…whatever that means."

"So…she punishes you by placing hot utensils on your skin?" Carlos asked, his voice low, "How long has this been going on?"

"You promised you-" Julie started, but Carlos looked down and gave her a look that shushed her up quickly, "….I don't know, maybe 4 or 5 years."

"Four or five years?" This time it was Stephanie to explode, "Your mother has been doing this for that long, and your father didn't even stop her the first time?! Oh no, you are not staying with that woman any longer, you take Heidi, get Lester to get you both some ice cream and let the grownups talk, okay sweetie?"

"Sweet!" Julie said, grabbing her sister and carrying her out the living room, "Come on, sis, let's beat it, the adults look mad…."

"Da…" Heidi agreed, holding tight to her sister as Julie carried her out the living room.

When Julie was out of earshot, Stephanie began ranting, pacing and then stopping to place her hands on her hips a glare on her face.

"I can't believe the nerve of that woman, to hurt a child like that! And for five years too?!" Stephanie exclaimed, "And then she put her in a conversion program! Those evil programs are even more dangerous than poison! I'm glad the girl isn't mentally scarred for life, Carlos, you go get Brittany and get down to the courts, Julie isn't going back to that woman, Brittany needs to do her butt kicking thing and give you custody. If that woman even tries to come and take Julie back, I'll see to it that she never gets her hands on that-"

Stephanie let out a sound as hands grabbed her shoulders and a pair of firm lips covered hers, a tongue sweeping past her lips and playing with hers. She closed her eyes and moaned melting into the kiss before Carlos pulled away from her mouth. Stephanie looked up into Carlos's eyes and asked, "What brought this on?"

"Babe, you're going to make a wonderful mother," Carlos said, wrapping his arms around the woman.

"Oh, well, I don't know, I mean, Julie and Heidi, they're not my children, I'm just the nanny," Stephanie said, earning a chuckle from the man holding her, "What's so funny?"

"You know, they can be your children, if you want," Carlos rumbled in Stephanie's ear, making her heart speed up, "They love you and I love you, I think you'd be the best mother for them."

Stephanie let out a breath of air and then said, "You need to worry about Julie's mother, and what she's done to that child, before we think about marriage, okay?"

Carlos's eyes darkened and he said, "Oh yes, once Brittany is back to herself again, she won't let what happened to Julie slip away, if we both know how Brittany is, she's like a dog with a bone…the worse."

"That she is, but she's our puppy," Stephanie said, earning a chuckle from Carlos, "Now, let's go check out the damage to the TV, maybe it's salvageable."

"I doubt it," Carlos said, pulling Stephanie to him, "The skateboard is still in the TV, oh well, at least Julie is safe and without broken bones, we'll take this as a small victory."

TBC…...

* * *

Yup small victory indeed, I'll try to update another story soon! :U smell ya later!


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20! Enjoy!

Warnings: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

* * *

_The Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 20_

_Court_

* * *

"Now that I'm sane," Brittany said, looking over the paperwork she had in front of her, "I can now berate you, Manoso, for springing this custody request on me, you could have warned a girl!"

Julie giggled loudly at Brittany, earning a grape to the forehead from said woman. Julie pouted and then turned to Stephanie saying, "Steph, Brittany is being mean to me, cause I'm a pain in the ass."

"Language," Carlos said to his child, earning a pout from her, "Brittany no grape throwing at the table, Julie no being a pain in the ass at the table as well."

"Dadadadada!" Heidi agreed from her high chair, earning a smile from Stephanie.

"See, the only good one at the table," Stephanie said, as she fed Heidi her meal of oatmeal and mushed fruit, "Mmm, it's good, isn't it, Heidi?"

Brittany and Julie sniggered as Heidi picked up the small pink bowl and tossed it at Stephanie. Stephanie sighed as oatmeal and fruit hit her face. She gave Heidi a look and said, "No throwing your oatmeal at the nanny!"

"No?" Heidi asked, earning a gasp from Stephanie, "Nonononono!"

"Oh great, she picks up the worse word to learn," Julie said as Carlos lifted Heidi from her seat and cuddle her, "Whenever I say no, I get the timeout corner, but when she says no, she gets a hug, bleh!"

"I hug you all the time, Quedria," Carlos said, pulling Julie over to him and giving her a one armed hug, "Like last night, when you started a fire and it didn't spread to the next door neighbors."

"Yeah, but you confiscated my backup fireworks," Julie pouted but hugged her father tightly, "Can I at least have sparklers?"

"No!" Everyone said around the table, earning a groan from Julie.

"So Babe, what are you, Julie and Heidi going to do, while we're in court?" Carlos asked, earning a thoughtful look from Stephanie.

"I'm taking the girls to a museum," Stephanie said earning a squawk of happiness from Julie, "And then we'll head back here, with some contraband food and enjoy the pool."

"Oh! Is it that cool medical hospital, where they like slice up a human body and put it on display?!" Julie asked, earning a shudder from Stephanie, "Or, how about that cool firearm museum, where we can launch a rocket launcher in a safe area! Oh I know, it's the shark museum, where they have a bunch of piranhas in one place and they put a live dying cow in the-"

"OKAY!" Stephanie said, looking green around the gills, "None of those places, just the children's museum, a nice, SAFE place for you and Heidi to bond as sisters."

"That place is for chumps," Julie said, pouting but settling in her father's arms, "But if you're going to faint cause you can't handle the scene of a cow being eaten alive, then, well, I guess we can hang out at the dinky museum for chumps."

"If we ever adopt a kid," Lester said, walking into the eating area of the kitchen, "I hope they're as badass as this one."

"Tio Lester," Julie said, sliding out of Carlos's arm and running over to Lester, "How about we 86 these chumps and go to the shark museum!"

"86?!" Lester asked, hefting Julie up onto his shoulder, "Where did you learn that phrase?"

"Action movies," Julie said simply, looking down at Lester, "Well what do ya say?!"

"I'm going to have to pass on that one, sorry Bruce Willis," Lester said, putting Julie down and earning a hiss from said girl, "I have to go with Jeanne, Brittany and your father to the court house today, you get to spend the day with your Uncle Alejandro."

"Jeanne and Brittany," Julie said, giving Lester a smile, "Are they your girlfriends?"

"That's not a question you ask your uncle," Jeanne said, walking into the kitchen, fixing her hair up in a bun, "Jeez, Carlos where did this get her attitude from?"

"I don't know," Carlos said, with honesty, watching Julie settle back into her chair to finish her cereal, "It must be from her mother, or something."

"You know, Tio Lester, they are quite pretty," Julie said with a giggle earning a snort from Lester and Stephanie.

"Are you sure you want her?" Brittany asked, earning a squawk from Julie, and a spoonful of soggy cheerios, "Hey! You brat!"

"Children," Carlos said, getting up and giving Heidi to Stephanie, "No fighting at the table, Brittany, I think it's time for us to go, we want to be fashionably early, right?"

"Right, Lester, Jeanne, let's go, I love winning a case so early in the morning," Brittany said, getting up from the table, stuffing the court documents into her suitcase, "See you later, Stephanie, Julie, behave and Heidi, learn some new words."

"When will you all be back?" Stephanie asked as Carlos kissed her on the lips, "Not too late, I hope?"

"Maybe around 5 or 6," Carlos said, kissing Heidi's head and then kissing Julie's head, "Alejandro will be here in an hour, please, check Julie's bag, when you come back to the house, she has a knack for finding contraband."

"There's a difference between finding and getting, Papi," Julie said, hugging her father, "Well, since we're going to the children's museum, I guess I won't take my switchblade with me."

"What?!" Stephanie yelped, looking over to Carlos with horror, "Uh….."

"I took that from her, don't worry," Carlos said, kissing Stephanie again, "Don't go too crazy with the girls."

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Stephanie said, as the group left the kitchen, "Have fun in court!"

When the front door was shut, Stephanie turned to Julie and said, "So, how about, after the museum, we get things to do our nails and hair?"

"Or, we can go get Legos, build a city and transform Heidi into Godzilla so she can destroy it!" Julie said grabbing Heidi and hugging her, "And we can film it!"

"We can do that too," Stephanie said, ruffling Julie's hair, "Let's get you and your sister dressed and ready to go, yeah?"

"Cool!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Okay, I can see her coming closer," Brittany said to Carlos as they stood outside the family courtroom, "Remember, don't talk to her, don't instigate her and if she tries to start something, block her out."

Carlos nodded his head as Brittany turned to Lester and Jeanne, giving them looks.

"And that goes for you two as well, Rachel is going to call me awful names, but don't stoop down to her level, okay," Brittany said, giving her fiancé and lover a look, "Behave."

"I can't believe the nerve of you Carlos!" Rachel Martine snarled, walking up to Brittany and Carlos, "I use that money to take care of your child, you know, the one you gave up on?!"

"Please, refrain from confronting my client," Brittany said, stepping in from of Carlos and looking over to Rachel's lawyer, a sharp looking man in a pinstriped suit, "I thought your clients knew better than that."

"Ms. Small, I didn't know you spent time in such places as family courtrooms, don't you have murderers and crooks that need plea deals?" Rachel's lawyer, Samuel Dodson, asked, earning a snort from Brittany.

"If calling my innocent clients crooks and murderers helps you sleep at night then you sir, have some serious issues," Brittany said, turning Carlos around, "Please, control your client and only speak to me in the courtrooms, if you have something nice to say to me, that is."

With that Brittany led Carlos into the courthouse and over to the plaintiff table. Carlos turned to Brittany and said, "I hope she can control herself once you put the motion in. "

"Eh…." Brittany said, as a couple poured into the courtroom and sat down, "We should be fine, I like the Judge we have now, Dawn Porter, she's extremely fair and balanced, and she doesn't like child abuse."

"All rise for the honorable Judge Dawn Porter," The bailiff I the family court stated, making everyone stand, "Please be seated."

Dawn Porter was a middle aged woman with downy soft grey hair and soft green eyes. She wore a pair of green glasses that match her emerald earrings. She looked down at the files in front of her and then looked over to both tables. Her eyebrows rose as she looked over to Brittany and said, "Ms. Small, I would have never thought you would take one step into a family court."

Brittany shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well, you're honor, If someone ask for my help, they shall receive it."

"So, Your client, Carlos Manoso is asking the courts to set up a child support payment plan, with the mother of his child," Dawn said, looking over to Carlos, "Am I right, Ms. Small."

"If the honor allows it, we're actually filing for full custody of Julie Manoso," Brittany said, holding up another set of files, "Carlos Manoso is seeking to get full custody of Julie, and limit Julie's biological and limit the amount of contact Julie gets from the woman."

"Are you kidding me?!" Rachel snapped, getting up and looking at Carlos, "You won't get that girl! She is my child, the one you walked out on, you piece of-"

"Mr. Dodson, control your client," Judge Dawn scolded the two at the defendant table, "Ms. Small, what has caused these…turns of events?"

"We have reason to believe that Rachel Martine is exploiting Julie Manoso for monetary means and she is also abusing said child," Brittany said, "We've asked the defendant to please show us how the money Carlos is giving in support is being used and yet, we've received nothing from them. I am afraid that not only are funds being used in the wrong way but the child for which the funds are for is in a dangerous environment."

"I would never hit Julie!" Rachel said, looking over to Brittany, "You bitch! How dare you-"

"Ms. Martine, this is a family court, there may be parents with children waiting outside, I suggest you calm down, or else I will forcibly remove you from court, Ms. Small, please, let me see this request."

Carlos watched as Brittany got up and gave the judge the file and then came back and sat down. The judge read over the file and then said, "Motion to file for full custody has been granted, this child support case is now a custody case, the plaintiffs can now present their argument for custody of the child."

"Thank you, your honor," Brittany said, nodding her head slightly to the judge, "Your Honor, we'll let the defendants speak first, if you would allow it."

Judge Dawn rose an eyebrow but said, "I'll allow it, Mr. Dodson, you have 20 minutes to present your case and aid your client in anyway."

Carlos gave Brittany a pointed look and asked, "Why are you letting them speak first?"

"Well, you know what they say," Brittany whispered, with a wink, turning to Lester and Jeanne, "Why dig your victim's grave, when they can do it themselves."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Alright, Chica," Alejandro said, as he checked Julie's pockets, "Let's see here, switchblade number 3…fireworks, a can of aerosol spray, matches, a thing of itching powder and cherry bomb, going to take over the Children's museum, are we?"

"How did you get by me with all this contraband?!" Stephanie asked Julie as she slipped Heidi in her stroller carrier, "I checked you twice!"

"I have a secret area in the garage," Julie said as Alejandro gave her back her backpack, "Not even Papi knows where it is."

"I'll be sure to find it myself," Stephanie said as they made their way up to the Miami's Children Museum, "Now, this place is going to be nice, I promise you, there's a fossil area and you can pretend to be a cop, or a doctor, it's going to be-"

"PIRATE ISLAND?!" Julie shrieked, looking at the banner that waved from the top of the door of the children's museum, "Alright, I can make Uncle Alejandro walk the plank, I can shoot people with a musket!"

"Now wait a minute," Stephanie said as Julie ran ahead of them, "There are no muskets here!"

"I haven't seen her this opened before," Alejandro commented, watching Julie run over to a glass display which held pirate artifacts, "Not even when she was with me at Rangeman, you're doing wonders for this child."

"What, no way, I've only had her for three days," Stephanie said, as Alejandro paid for the tickets, "I think Julie has been like this for a while."

"You should meet her mother," Alejandro said, slipping his wallet back into his pocket, "How she managed not to squash the girl's personality is beyond me. She makes Julie attend etiquette classes, piano, violin, harp, if you can believe that and ballroom dancing. Julie hates it so much, she's not able to act like a child in her own home. When she comes to see me, I let her do whatever she wants, but even then, it's not enough. I only get to see her twice a month. What you and Carlos do with that child, it helps her be her and damn it, that's all I want for Julie."

"I think Julie is going to be a handful, when she becomes a teenager," Stephanie commented as she pulled Heidi out her stroller, "We're going to see a string of broken hearts from all the girls."

Alejandro chuckled and asked, "Oh, you think she's going to be chasing the girls too? I wouldn't be surprise, Carlos used to be a skirt chaser in his teenage years, and everyone says Julie looks just like her father, wouldn't be surprise if she took after him in the love department."

"Oh god," Stephanie groaned, as Julie came back over to them, a broad grin on her face, "So Julie, where do you want to go first?"

"Pirate Island, we can dig up treasure and I'll make a bunch of saps walk the plank!" Julie squealed, grabbing Alejandro's hand, "Come on Uncle Al, let's go become pirates, and not the Pirates of Caribbean crap, but real pirates!"

"Aye Aye Captian," Alejandro said as Julie dragged him away to the area where the exhibit was placed.

Stephanie held Heidi up in her arms, looked down at the child, who blinked up at her and said, "Alright, sweetie pie, let's go do our own thing, then, do you want to see all the stars in the planetarium?"

"No!" Heidi squealed, with a smile on her face, earning a soft chuckle from Stephanie.

"Okay, let's go see the stars, while Julie and Alejandro play pirate," Stephanie said as she placed Heidi back in her stroller, "Hopefully she'll be tuckered out in an hour."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Man, Stephanie you should have seen the kid I made walk the plank, he was crying so loudly!" Julie shouted, her meatball sub flying her hands, "Of course there really wasn't a plank to walk on, but I made one, and the staff thought it was hilarious, but the punk's mother didn't think so, but she can suck lemons, for all I care."

"Oh, I see," Stephanie said, as she fed Heidi some of her bread, "Alejandro, why didn't you stop her?!"

"She had me tied up too," Alejandro said leaning back in his seat, "She caused a mutiny on the ship, and became the captain of ship."

"I'm just glad the staff were cool with the whole thing," Stephanie said, watching Julie give her sister the soft felt parrot Alejandro bought her, "I thought for sure, we would have been kicked out because of that."

Julie gave Stephanie a smile and went back to talking to Alejandro about going to the rock climbing wall after they ate their lunch. Stephanie and Heidi had spent a while in the Planetarium, looking at the stars and planets before. Stephanie was quite pleased and surprise to see Heidi, even though she was seven months old, had taken to the exhibit and cried whenever Stephanie tried to leave the area. If Julie was going to be a little hell raiser, Heidi would be her angel.

Her nice, smart and charming angel.

"You know, Mom never did like these places," Julie said, sipping drink, "She couldn't stand the thought of me running around and yelling, but you don't care, Stephanie, and that's cool."

"Well, that's because you're a kid, Julie, and kids are supposed to be wild little monkeys," Stephanie said, ruffling Julie's hair, "Though, they shouldn't be making children walk to their deaths on a plank."

"He didn't die, he fell into the ball pit below, that big wimp," Julie muttered, finishing her meal, "Okay time to go check out the cool playground, can I take Heidi with me?"

"Okay," Stephanie said, giving Heidi to her sister, "We'll be watching over here."

Julie smiled at Stephanie and Alejandro saying, "Heidi's my wingman, she's going to attract all the pretty girls!"

"Carlos is going to have his hands full with that one," Stephanie sighed just as Alejandro's phone went off, "At least she's been nothing but-"

"We'll be there in 30 minutes, give or take," Alejandro said, before hanging up the phone and turning to Stephanie, "Alright, Miss. Nanny, we need to head to the courthouse, apparently, Julie needs to talk to the judge."

TBC…..

* * *

Julie heads to court, and we see that she's one hell of a firecracker! Please leave a review...please? owo


	21. Chapter 21

SORRY ABOUT THE LONG ASS DELAY! I got back from Japan last month, was swept away by family for two weeks and then went to college early. I'm now fighting depression, senior thesis and getting signed up for all these programs at school...damn it, senior year was supposed to be easy.

Chapter 21 Enjoy!

Warning: descriptions of violence, maybe...

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Enjoy the long chapter and sorry about the delay again, hopefully senior thesis won't kick my butt this semester!

* * *

_The Mercenary's Daughter_

_Chapter 21_

_Uh...Something Witty here, because I'm so tired now_

* * *

"Okay, I will admit, this is new to me," Brittany said, as Julie bounded over to the judge's bench and plop down in the witness seat, "I thought it would take days, not hours for her to call Julie in, but that's good, that means the Judge believes our story."

Carlos sat back in his seat, watching as Julie was sworn in. He was a little leery about his daughter being in front of her mother, but she was a Manoso and she could handle herself, if push comes to shove. He turned in his seat to look in the back of the courtroom. Stephanie and Alejandro were sitting in the back of the courthouse, with Heidi in Alejandro's lap, content with a video on his phone. Stephanie gave him a small smile and a finger wave, before Carlos turned around in his seat to listen to the Judge ask Julie questions.

"Now, Julie, you promise me to tell the truth, alright?" Judge Dawn asked the seven year old, "It's very bad if you-"

"Judge, look, I've seen enough CSI and Law and Order," Julie said, looking up to the woman, "I'm going to tell the truth, I promise, okay? I don't wanna go to Juive."

Judge Dawn smiled and said, "Well, we have a sharp tack here, alright sweetie, can you tell me how you like living with your mother?"

Julie bit her lip and said, "Well…I don't like it much, your honor, can I be honest with you, your honor, I don't really like it at all."

"Why is that?" Judge Dawn asked, leaning forward in her seat, looking down at the child, "You can tell me anything, and I'll help you out."

Julie looked over to her mother and then back to Judge Dawn. She leaned forward in her seat and said, "Mom makes me do things I don't want to do, like stupid lessons and junk and…well…I don't want to say out loud…"

Judge Dawn looked down at the child and then said to the court, "We'll take an hour long recess so Julie and I can have a chat in my office."

"Da! Da!" Heidi squealed, reaching out for Carlos and settling in his arms as he grabbed her.

"Bella," Carlos said with a chuckle, kissing the child's head, "Did you and Julie behave for Stephanie today?"

"Yes they were good, but Julie caused a munity at the children's museum," Stephanie said, with a chuckle, earning a look from Carlos, "Don't worry, the staff there were quite alright with it."

"Good," Carlos said, running a hand over Heidi's curls, "I'm glad she's having a good time with you two, it's nice to see her getting along with her sister."

"Yeah, she's-" Stephanie started but was cut short when Rachel came stomping over, her face red with rage.

"You have another woman and child and you want my Julie?!" Rachel shrieked, her brown eyes flashing, "Why are you doing this, Carlos?! First you wanted to cut my money and now you want Julie, even though it looks like you have a happy family right now."

Carlos opened his mouth to respond to Rachel but Brittany grabbed his shoulder saying, "My client is not speaking to you outside of the courtroom, please, do not harass him, unless you desire to a restraining order."

"You can't do this, Carlos," Rachel hissed, "You'll fill her head up with nonsense, as her mother, I'm trying to see to it that Julie is raised like a proper lady."

Stephanie crossed her arms and gave Rachel a look. She was a pretty woman, with soft facial features all surrounded with long black hair, she could see where Julie got her looks from. It was such a shame the woman was twisted and ugly on the inside. As Rachel rattled off all the things she was doing for Julie, Stephanie couldn't help but wonder if Rachel was trying and failing to live through Julie. If she was, Julie wasn't going to let her, by rebelling here and there and acting like herself.

Brittany rolled her eyes and said, "Please, control your client, Mr.-ah!"

Stephanie and Carlos turned to the lawyer, watching her hunch over, her eyes clenched shut. She was holding her hand to her chest and was heaving deeply.

"Are you okay, Brittany?" Stephanie asked, watching the woman sit up, her face pinched with pain, "What's wrong, is it an injury, or-"

"I need to go to the bathroom," Brittany hissed, pushing past the group, "Carlos, do not talk to that woman and her mutt!"

"How dare you call my lawyer-" Rachel started but was cut off as Brittany barreled past her, "That bitch!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Oh shit," Brittany hissed , slamming the stall shut, pain radiating throughout her body, "What's going on?! It hurts!"

Brittany let out a whimper, pulling her hand away from her chest and looking down at it, horror growing in the pit of her stomach. Her hand was curled up with pain, but her nails were getting longer, sharper, as were her fingers. Brittany watched as fur began to sprout on her knuckles and she felt her teeth get longer, sharper. This wasn't right, she hadn't had this happen to her in a long time, not since the day the fucking government shot them all up with that shit to change them into unmentionables.

Brittany heard the bathroom door open and then Jeanne's voice rang through the small area.

"Brittany, what's going on, sweetcheeks?" Jeanne asked, standing in front of Brittany's stall, "Are you in pain?"

"Jeanne, I'm changing, I'm scared," Brittany whimpered, opening the door and holding out her affected arm, "Jeanne, what's making me change?!"

"Shit," Jeanne whispered, looking down at Brittany's arm, "Shit, I can't help you, Brittany, I don't know what's going on, hang on, I'm going to call Ivan, he can help you."

Jeanne took out her phone and dialed Ivan's number. He answered with a quick, "Jeanne."

"It's Brittany, I don't know what's going on, but she's shifting, I don't know how to stop it, Ivan!" Jeanne whispered harshly, watching as Brittany's brown eyes seem to change, getting brighter, her pupils thinning out.

"Put me on speaker," Ivan said, making Jeanne press the button, "Brittany, listen to me, you need to calm down, you know how to stop this, I taught you, remember? Breathe deeply and relax. You're in a panic now, but you need to relax, okay."

Brittany closed her eyes and begin to breathe deeply, her chest heaving and her body still shifting. She was struggling not to change, but the desire, the want to change was pulling at her so deeply.

"Just listen to my voice," Ivan said softly, making Brittany relax, "You're okay, you don't need to change, you're in a safe place, surrounded by people who love you, you're not in any danger."

Ivan kept repeating that over and over again, until the senses that had sharpened when Brittany began to change dimmed, her fingers uncurled, talon free and any fur she had growing faded away. Brittany opened her eyes, looking over to Jeanne who gave her a thumb's up. She let out a sigh and said, "Ivan, I'm good, I'm back to being me again."

"Good," Ivan said, the sound of papers shuffling filled the small bathroom, "Now, I have to figure out what caused you to try to transform, it can't be good."

"That's what I'm thinking," Jeanne said, looking over to Brittany, watching the woman run cold water over her face, "Why, though, is what I want to know."

"I'll keep you informed, until then, Brittany, try not to bring much attention to yourself, okay?" Ivan asked the woman, earning a snort from Brittany.

"I'll try not to," Brittany muttered, as Ivan hung up the phone, "That was scary…very scary."

Jeanne rubbed Brittany's back saying, "I don't know how you feel, but I guess it is very scary, sweetie."

"I don't want that to ever happen again," Brittany muttered, fixing her hair and slipping off her ruined blazer and fixing the color of her blouse, "Shit, I only have five minutes left in this recess, come on, let's go get ready to kick some ass."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"I was curious about something Julie told me, while I had a private conversation with her, during recess," Judge Dawn said, once she got the court back in session, "She told me about how the defendant, placed her in a program, because she was caught kissing another little girl at a party. She didn't know what the program was called, but I happen to know all about it; Gay Conversion Therapy. I thought it would be appropriate if a child therapist spoke about this program and the lasting effects from said program. Dr. Frank, you may take the stand."

"Very peculiar," Brittany whispered to Carlos, watching an older man sit in the witness box, "Now what is this all about?"

Carlos wanted to know what was going on too. After the recess, Julie went back to Stephanie and Alejandro and since she wasn't needed any longer, they took the children home to enjoy the rest of the day. Brittany commented to the man that this was unusual since custody cases could take months, or even years. It seemed that the outcome of the case would be settled today, in one hearing.

"Dr. Frank, you are the leading expert, in the state of Florida, of minors and young adults who have experienced Gay Conversion Therapy, can you explain to us what this program is?" Judge Dawn asked, earning a head nod from the man.

"Gay Conversion Therapy can be called other things," Dr. Frank said, his brown eyes looking at the court room, "reorientation or reparative therapy, but the fact is this, this program is supposed to change the sexual orientation of one person to a morally sound sexual orientation. 10 out of 10 times, it is used to changed the sexual orientation of homosexuals to heterosexuals."

"These programs are usually always ran by a church or religious organization, on the grounds that homosexuality is immoral, unnatural or a pox upon society," Dr. Frank said, looking at Rachel, "The child that this case is directed to, was placed in an infamous Gay Conversion Therapy program that is ran by the Miami chapter of Family Research Council, a known extreme right wing group."

"Dr. Frank," Judge Dawn asked, looking over to the man, "What does this group do, exactly."

"They show their 'patients' pornography, graphic sexual images of the opposite sex and encourage them to have sexual relations with the opposite sex," Frank said, giving the Judge a pointed look, "There is also the saying, 'pray away the gay,' in which prayer and religious scripture is used to cure people of homosexuality. What the child might not have told you, your Honor, is that this program, the one she went too, uses unethical and highly dangerous methods to change the sexual orientation of their patients; EST or electroshock therapy, drugs that induce illness which are used in conjunction with graphic sexual images and beatings, whenever sexual arousal is shown when looking at same sex images."

"Does this Therapy work, Dr. Frank?" Judge Dawn asked, earning a snort from the Therapist.

"Heaven's no," Dr. Frank said, looking at the courtroom, "This was debunked in the early 1990's, which I think is too late, in my opinion, these types of therapies are not only junk science but they are downright dangerous to the physical and mental state of those who are victims to this junk."

Carlos could feel the anger in him bubble up, like flames nipping at his toes. As the doctor spoke about the dangers of Gay Conversion Therapy, Brittany had a firm hand on his arm, to keep in grounded and to prevent him from doing something extremely stupid.

"There is the lasting physical damage from the beatings, the medicine and the electroshocks," Dr. Frank said, leaning back in his seat, "But it's the mental damage that is the scariest, suicide, self harm, drugs, alcoholism, sexual identity crisis and homicidal thoughts are all compounded with this junk treatment. Judge Dawn, I do have a question for you, if I may, your Honor?"

"Yes, Dr. Frank?" The judge asked, leaning forward.

"How many times has the child gone to these sessions?" He asked, his voice even and calm.

"She and the records indicate several times in the last three months, twice a week and sometimes four times in one week," Judge Dawn said, looking down at the records she had in front of her, "And you think these sessions are dangerous to the child?"

"They are worse than dangerous, they are a death warrant for her, at the age she is at now, she should not be exposed to this type of material!" Dr. Frank exclaimed, eyes of anger on Rachel now, "Are you incompetent, woman?! The damage you've done to this child may be permanent! She is now more than likely to commit suicide before the age of 15, she is now more than likely to start taking drugs at the age of 9, to be sexually active before the age of 11! I've taken an oath, your honor, to help out every person who may need it, and I will see to it that the child does not stay in this toxic environment any longer."

"Thank you, Dr. Frank for your information, it will be valuable in my decision making, and for the exclamation to protect the interest of the child." Judge Dawn said, motioning for the Therapist to leave the witness box, "I've heard both sides arguments and I've seen evidence from both sides as well, I have made up my mind, which is rare for a case such as this, but in light of Dr. Frank's statement, it must be done, I am awarding full custody of Julie Manoso to the biological father, Mr. Carlos Manoso, if there are to be any visits from the biological mother, they are to be supervised by a court appointed guardian. Mrs. Martine, I am appalled with what you have done to this child, to have her exposed to your bigotry and hatred and then to abuse her and to place her into a program that has been medically and scientifically debunked. Maybe one day, you will be able to look back at this incident and have some remorse, but I think it's going to be a while before that."

Judge Dawn looked at the group and said, "Court is adjourn, Mr. Manoso, raise that girl to the best of her ability."

The judge banged the gravel and then Brittany turned to Carlos saying, with a smile, "Congrats, Carlos, you're father to two daughters now."

Carlos felt the weight of the case lift from his shoulders and he gave Brittany a rare small smile which promptly disappeared when the situation settled in.

He had two daughters now, one who was school age too.

Two lovely little daughters that would somehow make their way into their teenage years in a decade or so.

Brittany's smiled faded away at the blank look Carlos had on his face, "Uh…you okay?"

"I have two daughters…." Carlos croaked, earning a nod from Brittany, "I'm surrounded by women…"

Brittany smiled and then said, "You are, don't worry, you'll get used to it. If you need any help with settling Julie in a new school and with life in New Jersey, I'm always available."

Brittany shuffled all her court papers in her suitcase and helped Carlos up from his seat before leading him out the courtroom. She bypassed Rachel, who was waiting by the door with her lawyer. They may have avoided her but they couldn't avoid her mouth.

"You asshole! How dare you take my daughter away from me!" Rachel raged, as he lawyer held her back, "I only want to make sure she grows up normal! You'll fill her head with taint, and let her live a life like that! I'll get her back, I swear to you!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Brittany muttered, as she and Carlos made their way over to Lester and Jeanne, "I'd like to see her try to do something that stupid."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"She didn't show up on the radar, sir," A man said to Xavier, bowing low, "I'm afraid the call might have been too weak or wasn't broadcast in the right area."

"Nonsense," Xavier said, waving his hand dismissively, giving the man a pointed look, "That is the call of my family, those with our blood are forced to heed it, unless, she is more powerful than I thought, she is a half-blood, her mother a weak unmentionable, she should not be able to dismiss this call."

"Sir, you do know that sometimes, half-bloods can be extremely powerful, though this is rare, it does happen."

"Find my child, I want that power under my control, " Xavier said, cracking his fingers, "Make the call stronger, but if you see so much as a blip, go investigate."

"Right away, sir."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"I don't want any of my stuff from Mom's house," Julie said ,crossing her arms and leaning back in her bed, "It's all girly and yuck, she threw out most of my cool things when I got in trouble last week."

"Sorry to hear that, I'll make sure your father knows that," Stephanie said, tucking Julie in, after she tucked Heidi in the portable crib, "Now, tomorrow, we have a big day ahead of us, remember?"

"Yup, back to New Jersey and I get to pick my room!" Julie said, leaning back on the pillows and yawning, "And then find a school and junk, right?"

"Yup, hopefully you won't be a menace, right?" Stephanie asked the child, earning a small smile from her.

"You know, I can't make any promises," Julie said innocently, earning a groan from Stephanie, "Well, I'm beat, night Steph!"

Stephanie sighed and kissed Julie's head saying, "Good night, Julie, try to keep the Gameboy volume down, your sister is sleeping."

"Can do!" Julie said, tucking into the bed and tossing the covers over her head, "Wait!"

Stephanie paused, looking over to the girl who had her Gameboy halfway out from wherever she had hid it. She put her hands on her hips and asked, "Yes?"

"Are you and my dad together?" Julie asked, sitting up, "Cause, I know all about that kissing stuff, and only couples do that, bleh…"

"Well, yes, we are together, does that gross you out?" Stephanie asked, sitting on the edge of Julie's bed.

"Nope, just wondering, besides, you would make a better mother than my mother anyways," Julie said, settling in her bed, a smile on her face, "I wouldn't mind you being my mother, Steph, I like you."

"Oh," Stephanie was touched by the child's words. She never had considered herself mother material but seeing the completely innocent look on Julie's face had her eyes prickling.

"And you let me tase Uncle Alejandro too, which was awesome!" Julie chimed in, a wicked smile on her face.

And the sweet moment was gone. Stephanie rolled her eyes, gave Julie a look and said, "Off to bed with you, child."

Julie let out a cackle and then slid under the covers to play her video games. Stephanie closed the door, but not before turning on the small nightlight and made her way down the stairs. She made her way over to the kitchen, which was lit up and voices could be heard from inside the luxurious room.

"….Never happened to me before, Carlos….not cool."

"Look, Bella, it's all right, maybe it was a freak accident…."

"Accident my ass, Brittany, you know whose after you!"

"Do you think Heidi could…"

"I don't know…maybe? She's like related to me or something…"

Stephanie paused before the doorway of the kitchen, listening to the conversation. It was being said in hush voices, but Brittany and Jeanne's voices had a hard edge to them. They were afraid, but of what? What were they not telling Stephanie?

Stephanie squared her shoulders up, and walked into the kitchen, making all conversation cease. Brittany was sitting on the island, with her legs wrapped around Lester's waist and a pint of Ice cream in her hands. Jeanne was looking at Brittany with a serious expression and Carlos was leaning against the other counters, his arms crossed. Carlos dropped his arms to his side and said, "Babe, Julie asleep?"

"Not yet, maybe an hour or two of playing video games and maybe she'll head off to sleep," Stephanie said, looking at the four people in the kitchen, "What's going on in here?"

Carlos gave Jeanne a look but Jeanne gave him a small glare, her mouth tightening up. Brittany put her ice cream down and said, "Steph, I would love to tell you, but, it's uh…quite sensitive, I know you wouldn't tell anyone else but, trust me, whatever we're talking about, it could end several lives, so…I know this is wrong of me, but I have to keep you in the dark."

Stephanie opened her mouth to retort but the look Brittany gave her made her falter. She was being serious, Brittany couldn't tell her anything, not because she was being selfish, but because she was protecting herself and everyone else involved. If Stephanie somehow got involved, she would be in danger as well. Fine, she would back down on this, but that doesn't mean she had to hide her pout.

"Don't worry, Babe," Carlos said, hugging Stephanie, "You're not missing much."

"I feel like you guys are the cool kids and I'm the nerd," Stephanie huffed, but let Carlos hug her, "Not fair!"

"Enough whining, I'm going to bed," Jeanne said, leaning over and kissing Brittany, "We have an early day tomorrow, and then I go back to work."

"You're…" Brittany trailed off, earning a quick nod from Jeanne, "Okay…well, time to go to sleep."

"I just remembered something, this is Julie's first summer with us….what do we do with her?!" Stephanie asked, looking up at Carlos.

"We'll figure that out later, for now, let's go to sleep," Carlos said, leaning down and kissing Stephanie into silence. He didn't want her to know that that thought had been running through his head as well.

What was he going to do with a hell raiser like Julie? It didn't matter though, Julie was his hell raiser and he would change her for the world.

TBC….

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Welp, that's all folks! See you later, time to update some other stories now! Please leave a review, they're highly addicting ;D


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